State Fire Marshal: Dec. 11 is Candle Safety Day

05:04PM / Monday, December 11, 2023Print Story | Email Story

STOW, Mass. — As Massachusetts enters the time of year when candle fires are most common, Governor Maura T. Healey has proclaimed Dec. 11, 2023, to be Candle Safety Day and State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine is reminding residents to follow safety guidelines.

"There have been more than 1,000 candle fires in Massachusetts over the past 10 years," State Fire Marshal Davine said. "These fires caused 11 deaths, 191 injuries, and over $35 million in losses. More of these fires started in December than in any other month, and especially on the days leading up to Christmas. If candles are part of your celebration or decoration, please use them carefully."

Candles are part of many holiday traditions this time of year, including Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. As a result, candle fires tend to peak on Dec. 25, and December and January accounted for nearly 25 percent of all such incidents in the period from 2018 to 2022. State Fire Marshal Davine offered the following safety tips to reduce the risk of fire:

No matter the season, have working smoke alarms on every level of your home. Check the manufacturing date printed on the back, replace alarms that are more than 10 years old, and test alarms every month to be sure you're protected.
Place lit candles on sturdy, non-combustible saucers or candleholders. Keep anything that can burn at least one foot away on all sides.
Always extinguish candles when you leave the room or go to sleep. Never leave a lit candle unattended.
Keep candles out of reach of children and pets. Store matches and lighters up high where kids can't access them.
Consider switching to battery-operated flameless candles.
Flashlights are much safer than candles during a power outage. Keep batteries on hand for emergency use.

There were 115 candle fires in Massachusetts last year, and 92 took place in residential settings. The most common location was the bedroom, followed by the living room, bathroom, and kitchen. One of these fires claimed the life of a 93-year-old Kingston woman with limited mobility, and another claimed the life of a 61-year-old Springfield resident whose home had no working smoke alarms.

Candle fires peaked in Massachusetts in 1999, with local fire departments reporting more than 340 of them. Candle Safety Day was established the following year, designating the second Monday of December to promote awareness of the problem.

"Since that time, we've reduced candle fires by more than 65 percent," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "Let's continue to practice safe candle use, especially around the holidays."

For more candle safety resources, including Spanish-language information, visit the DFS website.

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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