Firefighters were called out in Kirk Michael and Douglas last night following two property fires.

Kirk Michael firefighters were called out at 6.30pm following reports of a fire at a house in the village.

When they arrived, they discovered a small fire had occurred in a hearth after a large candleholder shattered and spilled wax ignited.

The damage was contained to the hearth and was only minor with the property suffering slight smoke logging.

Then at 10.25pm, Douglas firefighters responded to reports of a fire at a property on Broadway, Douglas.

On arrival crews discovered that a grill pan had caught fire in an oven in one of the flats causing smoke logging to the flat.

Thanks to the early warning provided by the fire alarm system, the property was fully evacuated prior to their arrival and the oven sustained only minimal damage.

The fire and rescue service are keen to highlight the dangers involved in both incidents and in the case of the second, the importance of a working smoke alarm.

They also had advice regarding candle safety: ’We’d like to remind everyone to keep candles well apart and leave at least four inches (10cm) between two burning candles.

Don’t leave them burning, extinguish candles before you leave a room, never go to sleep with a candle still burning and never leave a burning candle or oil burner in a child’s bedroom.

Put them in a proper holder, candles need to be held firmly upright by the holder so they won’t fall over, the holder needs to be stable too, so it won’t fall over either’.

Further information on candle safety can be obtained from the Community Fire Safety Team on 647318.