Footage shows terrifying moment tealight candles cause a blaze which tears through and destroys a flat just TWO MINUTES after they were lit
- Shocking footage captures the moment tealights set a bookshelf on fire in a flat
- Blaze then spreads to the ceiling tiles in the hallway which fills with black smoke
- Candles were lit by Wazcar Abreu at his flat in Birmingham in memory of relative
- Mr Abreu left to go to the shop and came back to find his flat engulfed in flames
This is the terrifying moment a flat was engulfed in flames in a matter of seconds – after the homeowner lit several tealight candles.
Wazcar Abreu, 32, lit the candles in memory of a relative and placed them on a shelf before leaving the flat to head to a nearby to a nearby shop.
In just two minutes, the candles set fire to other items on the shelf including an aerosol can which exploded and shattered a window.
CCTV shows the fire spreading to the ceiling tiles which then fell to the floor while the entire hallway filled with thick black smoke.
A passerby dialled 999 after seeing smoke billowing from the smashed window of the flat in Summer Road, Erdington, Birmingham.
Ten firefighters arrived just five minutes after receiving the 999 call in May last year and managed to extinguish the blaze.
This is the moment a flat was engulfed in flames after a homeowner lit tealight candles before heading the the shop. Pictured: the flaming ceiling tiles fall the floor as hallway fills with smoke
The fire took a matter of seconds to spread to the ceiling in the hallway which filled with smoke
Mr Abreu said: ‘I only left the flat for a few minutes but then got a call from a friend telling me what was happening.
‘It all happened so quickly, the speed of the fire and the firefighters arriving.
‘There was lots of fire and smoke. I still can’t believe it, so I want to send a message to people to please take care.’
Two fire engines, from Ward End and Sutton Coldfield fire stations, arrived within five minutes.
West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service released the footage to warn people about the dangers of leaving candles and tealights unattended.
Crew Commander Dave Bailey, from Ward End fire station, said: ‘It’s incredibly rare for a candle fire like this to be caught on camera.
Wazcar Abreu lit candles in memory of a relative but they set fire to the bookshelf they were on
CCTV captured the moment items on the bookshelf caught on fire before it spread to ceiling
Firefighters had to force their way into the flat wearing breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze
‘The footage not only shows the nightlights being lit but the speed at which the resulting fire develops.
‘We needed to wear breathing apparatus and to force our way into the empty flat, before using hose reel jets to extinguish the flames.
‘The fire damage was confined to the landing area, but could have been much worse.
‘Fortunately, no-one was hurt but there was extensive smoke damage throughout.
‘Please never leave burning candles unattended, even if only for a few seconds or minutes.
‘Keep them well away from other combustible items. When you do blow them out, make sure they’re fully extinguished.
‘Be sure to fit and regularly test smoke alarms on every level of your home and in the areas you use most.
‘Whenever you leave home or go to bed, always close internal doors to help stop the spread of flames and smoke if there is a fire.’
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