A quick-thinking homeowner prevented a potential catastrophe by throwing his a table out of his home after it caught fire from his Menorah, officials say.
The homeowner reportedly lit the Menorah on a tray on the plastic table, but the wax dripped and set the table on fire.
The homeowner then grabbed the table and threw it from the home, extinguishing it. Nobody was injured.
UPDATE: Shortly before 8 PM, a second similar incident occurred in Lakewood.
UPDATE 8:30PM: An important message from the Lakewood Fire Department:
As Fire Prevention Coordinator for the Lakewood Fire Department, I would like to remind everyone to be very vigilent and to practice safety when preparing and lighting the Menorah before, during, and after as well.
Two close calls have come in tonight within minutes of each other, both for tables that caught fire from a Menorah.
At least 3 fires occurred in Israel and a couple in the UK and, very sadly, there was the tragedy in NYC.
We also get numerous other calls that aren’t “news worthy” and do not get reported.
Please, be very vigilant and careful. There are way too many people with unsafe menorah set ups in their home. While the serious incidents may be few and far between relative to the sheer number of menorahs out there, still, the serious incidents are deadly. This is not a time to be lax in safety.
Please review the following safety tips and put them to practice tonight! There is still one night left to Chanukah. Let’s all have a safe and happy Chanukah.
WHEN LIGHTING THE MONORAH:
NEVER leave Chanukah candles unattended and NEVER go to sleep while Chanukah candles are burning
Place the menorah on a sturdy heat resistant surface away from anything that can catch fire including walls, curtains, cabinets, wooden and plastic tables, tablecloths… remove any window treatment if need be
Cover the entire surface that the Menorah is being placed on with heavy duty silver foil
Light the candles out of children’s reach and where they cannot be knocked over! No rickety tables! I know it’s convenient, but… safety first!
Keep surfaces and surrounding areas clear from burned matches, wick trimmings, oil residue, flammable Chanukah decorations, and other debris
NEVER light “school project” menorahs made from flammable materials e.g. wood, plastic, etc
Wishing you all a safe and happy Chanukah!
Jacob Woolf
Fire Prevention Coordinator
Lakewood Fire Department
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I put on my pant before my wife put in the washing machine !
always put a piece of heavy silver foil under the Menorahs.
I line my entire table with heavy duty foil. A tray isn’t enougb
Thank you, Mr. Woolf.
I would like to add that an issue I have seen is that if there are menoros which are lower, and a taller one has a beeswax candle, the heat from the candles of the lower one can cause the upper one to bend over and fall – or to drip more (perhaps even with fire in the dripping wax). This is also something to be careful about, and may perhaps be what happened in this case. Also, in the latter days of Chankua, since there are more candles, there is more heat in general, and therefore sufficient space should be provided – especially with wax candles. (With oil wicks also, there can be ‘dripping fire’ – perhaps even more so with oil than wax).
It seems that the tray was not enough. Is this becasue it can catch fire, or just if it isn’t large enough to catch a falling beeswax candle – which can fall further away from the menorah? In that case they would need a larger tray.
if one has to go to sleep or leave his house after the candles have burned for the halachic time, i believe the flames should be extinguished. have any poskim suggested that?
I wish the schools wouldnt sent home wooden Menorahs.
they arent safe and hope they can come up with another material for the project.
maybe clay or tile etc..
Return the table to Costco
Jacob,
1 other issue that you didn’t point out.
CALL 911 NOT HATZOLAH IF THERE IS A FIRE.
I had a morah make a menorah with s piece of tile and metal nuts. I thought she was so smart but was that the issue here?
Quick thinking by the homeowner. Glad everyone is OK!
I fail to understand the fire prevention suggestions on just Chanukah. What about every Friday night? How many people light on their Shabbos table with a plastic table cloth underneath their leichter tray? How many times do people light then eat out on a Friday night leaving their candles unattended. Are we suggesting nobody do that? Obviously it is Shabbos so we cannot put out the flames but many people (especially in the summer when Shabbos is so late) light ner Shabbos and end up going to sleep with lit candles!
Yes we must be safe and smart and yes we must assure we are never putting our family, our home and our neighbors in danger and yes we need the reminders to be sure we are safe and careful but at the same time, we must realize that the Eibishter gave us this wonderful opportunity to be mekayem mitzvos with neiros so do them with excitement and not in fear
Who says you should light at home? The Poskim I asked said it is better to light where you eat.
An idea people may want to consider for a menorah tray- use ac duct work- it has a raised ledge on both sides, is heavy duty metal and cost around $6 in lowes.
I think the time has come to publically question the quality of the products being put out by the company that has monopolized the religious industry these last couple of years. Years ago, we did not have so many issues with these kind of fires happening. Have the glasses been tested to see if they hold up to fire for a few hours? Are they UL rated? I’m routinely finding double wicks in my candles lately which makes for an out of control flame. Who is testing these products before we put millions of yidden in danger?
@newcomer – excellent point but no one has to suggest it. Mishna Berura says you may put out ur flames after the necessary time had elapsed. Stay Safe !!
Shabbos candles are generally not lit near the wall or curtains and things that can catch fire easily. People are a lot less safe with Chanuka candles bec it “has” to be as close to the window as possible. Keeping the candles lit after going to sleep or leaving the house is abhorrently irresponsible.
Maybe it is time we start lighting by the door like in EY?
Safer.
The issues from back when we started lighting inside don’t exist anymore.
I don’t know.
Just sayin’
Luckily a tragedy was prevented. Be sure to educate your children about fire safety, have an escape and meet up plan, use fire and carbon monoxide alarms, practice fire drills and escapes with your families and have escape ladders in all second floor rooms with windows. If there is a fire in your own home and the door to the room is closed, put your hand on it before opening to ensure you don’t cause a flash. The fire will migrate to the place with more oxygen. Talk to your schuls and schools about bringing in firefighters to discuss fire safety. And don’t over use timers and extension cords.