When a Romantic Dinner Becomes a Disaster, SERVPRO of Mission Valley East Will Clean up the Mess.

Shedding Light on Our Service

SERVPRO® of Mission Valley East  is a local company with expertise in restoring homes and businesses from disasters.

Whatever the emergency, we can handle it. Our emergency services are available all day, every day, so you won't have to wait until conventional business hours to reach us.

Our number is 619-303-3599. We're available.

When a Soft Glow Becomes a Harsh Disaster

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) collected five years of data on home fires in the United States. On average:

• Fire departments responded to 7,610 fires started by candles each year
• The fires cost $278 million in direct property damage
• There are 21 home candle fires a day
• Most of the home candle fires (60%) occurred when something flammable was too close to the flame
• A large proportion (37%) of the home candle fires started in bedrooms
• Falling asleep is a major risk for candle-caused fires

Be careful!

Glowing up through History

Most of us use candles for celebration, commemoration, or to make an occasion special. For thousands of years, however, people needed candlelight. 

Greeks and Romans used candles in 500 BCE for illumination and for celebration. They made these candles from tallow (beef or mutton fat), which may be why they usually used oil lamps for light (less of a stink). Somehow, the tallow candles were popular gifts, just as they are now.

Earlier Chinese dynasties (403 – 221 BCE) used candles made of whale fat. Later ones (from 202 BCE to 210 CE) used beeswax. Yes, there was overlap between the use of whale-fat and beeswax candles; new technology always takes time to eliminate the competition.

We like what priests in Indian temples during that time period. They boiled cinnamon to create wax used for candles in religious ceremonies.

During the Middle Ages, wars meant European countries couldn't rely on olive oil for lamps, so people used tallow candles as their main source of illumination. The noticeable aroma (polite form for “huge stink”) led to several cities outlawing candle manufacturing within the boundaries. NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) was an early complaint.

During the 18^th Century, craftspeople discovered that the oil from the heads of sperm whales made excellent candles and lamp oil. It burned brighter than tallow, didn't have a strong aroma, and was harder than both tallow and beeswax, so it didn't melt in the summer heat. Even with these advantages, whale oil makes us sad because we like whales.

In the 19^th Century, French chemists came to the rescue. They found that oils from certain plants created wax candles that burned brighter, had no stink, and lasted longer than other kinds. Other chemists (still French!) found a way to remove the stinky chemicals from tallow.

Currently

In the United States, we spend billions of dollars on candles every year.

We hope you all continue to celebrate and illuminate with candles, and urge you to use them safely.