FIVE houses in Kirklees have been damaged by fires caused by candles since the beginning of this year.
Fire chiefs are warning people to take care when using candles, which caused 30 house fires in Kirklees in 2001 and 23 in 2000.
Across West Yorkshire candles have caused 23 house fires since the beginning of 2002, after 174 house fires in 2001 and 127 house fires in 2000.
Assistant chief fire officer David Monks said: "Even though the festive season is over, we are still attending house fires caused through lack of care when using candles."
He urged people to be sensible and to follow candle safety advice, which includes:
* Do not put candles directly on to plastic material such as TVs and stereos.
* Do not put candles on a window-sill, near curtains or in a draft.
* Do not put candles in a container that does not fit properly or which could easily fall over.
* Never leave candles unattended.
* Always make sure candles are properly extinguished before going to bed.
