Following Simple Advice for Burning Candles Could Save Your Family and Your Home

WORCESTER, Mass., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- More and more families are turning to fragrant candles to illuminate their homes. Unfortunately, these decorations, if not properly attended to, can easily turn from a source of beauty to a source of destruction. In fact, candles are responsible for more than 20,000 residential structure fires, causing an estimated 1,500 injuries, more than 150 deaths and $390 million in property losses each year.

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With Fire Prevention Week approaching (October 8-14th), The Hanover Insurance Group, a leading super regional property and casualty company, reminds individuals to make safety a priority when burning candles throughout their home or lighting jack-o-lanterns to celebrate the season.

Following a few simple rules can prevent the vast majority of candle fires:

* Never leave a lit candle unattended. One third of all candle-related fires are due to unattended or poorly controlled candles. * Keep candles away from flammable objects, including curtains, dried arrangements, books, papers or clothing. Be careful not to place lit candles too close to a wall, as some wallpaper can quickly ignite. * Make sure you don't place a lit candle in front of an open window, or anywhere that a breeze could easily knock it over or cause it to flare up. * Keep an eye on your children and pets. Children tend to be fascinated by flames and may be tempted to play with candles. Pets can easily knock over candles with their tails or when startled. * Always extinguish candles before bedtime or a nap and when leaving a room unattended. * Be sure your candles are secure in their holders. If they are not properly fitted, they can easily tip over. * Keep candles away from alcohol, including alcoholic beverages, which are easily combustible. * Trim the wick to about 1/4 an inch above the candle after each use.

"From room fresheners to house-warming gifts, candles are a popular fashion accessory now commonly used in about 70 percent of households throughout the country," said Michael Gonzales, AVP property strategy at The Hanover. "Unfortunately, they are also a major cause of fires. Practicing simple safety precautions could help save your home or even someone's life."

Gonzales added that whether you use candles or not, every household should have working smoke alarms on every level, test them monthly, and change batteries as needed. This simple practice will cut the chance of dying in a fire by half.

About The Hanover

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. , based in Worcester, Mass., is the holding company for a group of insurers that includes The Hanover Insurance Company, also based in Worcester; Citizens Insurance Company of America, headquartered in Howell, Mich., and their affiliates. The Hanover offers a wide range of property and casualty products and services to individuals, families and businesses through an extensive network of independent agents, and has been meeting its obligations to its agent partners and their customers for more than 150 years. Taken as a group, The Hanover ranks among the top 35 property and casualty insurers in the United States.

CONTACTS: Investor Relations Media Relations Sujata Mutalik Amy Lynn Banek smutalik@hanover.com abanek@hanover.com (508) 855-3457 (508) 855-4486