Sterno Five Hour Tea Lights candles and candle holders
1 report to CPSC, the latest made Jan 24, 2012. A report isn’t a recall.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.
At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.
- 1report to CPSC
- Jan 24, 2012the latest report was made
- Jan 24, 2012the earliest
- 1with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Sterno Five Hour Tea Lights
- Maker
- The Sterno Group LLCMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Candles and candle holdersCPSC’s product type: Candles, Candlesticks and Other Candle Holders (code 463), in Furniture, Furnishings & Decorations: Candles
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| January 2012 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- No one hurt 1 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
-
No one hurt Made Jan 24, 2012, sent to the company Feb 14, 2012, published by CPSC Feb 29, 2012
The product, in the report: tea candle & its holder
Re: Tea Light Candle flare up
I am forwarding this information on for your review and appropriate action.
Recently my wife and I were en route to an arson conference and we stopped to enjoy an elegant meal at an upscale restaurant. Across from us sat five people at an adjoining table. All of the tables in the establishment had two tea light candles in glass cup containers in place. The five people left and a few minutes later we saw one of the candles flare. There was a two-inch wide base of flames at the top of the glass container with erratic flames over 12 inches high and about eight inches wide at the top.
Had a witness at a fire told me what had happened I would have found it had to believe. However, my wife and I were the witnesses.
A waitress quickly smothered the flames. I asked for and received the errant candle remains. We let one of our candles burn completely out with no event. The waitress said that they have used these same candles for some seven years with no problems; however, in the last batch they received, six candles have flared. In each instance an odor of kerosine was observed.
I have attached images of the candles and a container.
Common to both candles, the errant one and ours, is that the wick disk base was not centered and instead was against the side of the aluminum cup, allowing the flame to impinge on the side of the glass container.
The owner said she purchased the candles through her restaurant supplier. They are called Five Hour Tea Lights, supplied by the Sterno Group Division of Candle Corporation of America, [REDACTED]. She said the item number on the box is #505TIL. The box indicates they are made in Thailand. She has called Sterno several times, but has received no real response. (Note: Sterno web site lists the number as 505TL)
It appears the main problem is that the disk that holds the wick is not secure in the aluminum cup when the wax is melted. The melted wax allows the disk holding the wick to travel to the edge ofthe cup when tipped or disturbed. The wax is melted at the time the candles are extinguished by staff and, if tipped before the wax is cooled, the disk can be displaced. This can also occur during the time the table is being reset by staff for the next guest and the candle is still lit.
I have reviewed some research on the laboratory work on these candles, but this is my first field experience of how things happen in the real world.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I still have the remains of both candles and the glass container.
Very truly yours, [REDACTED]
- Model
- item#505 TL
- Bought from
- Sterno Group Division of Candle Corporation of America, Illinois
- Where
- Unspecified: Unspecified
- Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Sterno Five Hour Tea Lights, made or sold by The Sterno Group LLC
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.