Voluspa candles and candle holders

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. No one hurt

   Made Mar 7, 2015 · , sent to the company Mar 19, 2015 · , published by CPSC Apr 9, 2015

   The product, in the report: Voluspa 12oz 3 wick candle in tin

   I purchased a Voluspa brand candle from Anthropologie a couple of years ago. I have never owned any other Voluspa brand before this. However, I do love candles and I have never had a problem with any other brand or type of candle before. That being said: I had the Voluspa 3 wick French Cade scented candle in the tin sitting on the bottom shelf on a built in bookcase in my home. (It sat in the same spot yesterday and burned for a couple of hours with no issue, by the way) The candle had been burning for about 45 minutes, in my sight the whole time. I was in the same room watching TV. I looked over and noticed the whole candle tin was engulfed in flames! I ran to the kitchen to get a cup of water and ran back to douse the tin. The thing was burning from the INSIDE OUT. I extinguished the flame and upon further inspection, the whole tin was charred and when I went to pick it up to move outside due to the smell, it was stuck to my shelf! When I removed it, the wood underneath was scorched and bubbled up. Completely ruined. It’s not just a single shelf that I can easily remove as it is the bottom shelf of a built in bookcase. I emailed the company several hours ago to alert them to the problem...we’ll see if I end up with a response. I’m thankful that I caught the fire before it spread to anything else but I’m thoroughly pissed off that I’m out the cost of this candle plus whatever it will take me to repair the damages. After some digging, I’ve discovered I’m not the only person this has happened to with these tins in particular. Voluspa should highly consider repackaging these candles because apparently the tins are flammable. The only warning the product comes with is the standard candle warnings, nothing about their less than mediocre tin that houses the otherwise pleasant candle. It’s dangerous to their consumers. This is in no way a case of “consumer misuse”, I’ve been burning varying brands of candles for years and burned the Voluspa the day prior all with no issue. It’s not as if I set my shelf on fire and am looking to place blame. This thing erupted in flames out of nowhere. I will never purchase another Voluspa product.

   Bought from

   Anthropologie

   Where

   Unspecified: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Unknown

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand VOLUSPA, made or sold by Flame and Wax, Inc

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

2. No one hurt

   Made Feb 9, 2014 · , sent to the company Feb 19, 2014 · , published by CPSC Mar 13, 2014

   The product, in the report: Voluspa “Malayan Coco” scented candle in glass container. Triangle shaped glass container 3.5”x3.5”x5” sides. Probably 3.5” height at purchase. Glass is 1/4” thick. Two wicks in the candle.

   Several years ago I purchased three Voluspa glass container scented candles at Villagio Inn & Spa in Yountville, CA. Over the years I have discovered that each of the glass containers have cracked, and even burst apart. Each time the candle remained lit as the melted wax poured out of the container. In one instance the wax poured out onto a coffee table, lighting the table on fire and causing smoke damage to my home.

   I was actually able to witness the last incident. I was burning a Voluspa “Malayan Coco” candle, which had a pretty solid glass container and I thought was safe to use. After roughly 1 hour of burning, the candle started to make a “ticking” sound. Shortly thereafter the top of the candle burst, ejecting sizable glass shards up to two feet away. As with the prior candles, the now damaged glass allowed wax to pour out of the candle while the candle remained lit.

   I have photos of the damaged candle.

   I initially believed the bursting of the first candle was the result of one candle being defective, but after three candles I believe the product line is a fire safety hazard. I have already notified Villagio Inn & Spa that the candles are a fire hazard, and I have emailed Voluspa and sent them photos of the damaged candle.

   Model

   Malayan Coco

   Bought from

   Villagio Inn & Spa, California

   Bought

   Jan 1, 2011, about then

   Where

   Davis, California: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 44, Female

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Voluspa, made or sold by Flame and Wax, Inc

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

3. No one hurt

   Made Jan 15, 2013 · , sent to the company Feb 12, 2013 · , published by CPSC Mar 6, 2013

   The product, in the report: Tin Candle, sold at www.anthropologie.com Scented candle, About 4-5” in diameter with 3 wicks, contained in metal tin.

   The candle is a Voluspa Scented candle and is stored in a tin. I purchased the candle from an Anthropologie retail store.

   I left the candle unattended for about 15 minutes, but was nearby in the next room (about 15 feet away). I noticed the air getting misty and small black flakes in the air, and i began looking around my apartment. I saw a bright light coming from my room, and saw that the entire tin (approximately 4-5” in diameter) had gone up in flames, like a mini-bonfire.

   The flames were so large that i didn’t want to snuff the candle out, so i grabbed a cup and sprinkled a small amount of water on the flames. Doing that created a fireball much bigger than the original flames for 1-2 seconds, maybe a foot in diameter, then the fire went out.

   Despite immediately doing everything i could to air out my home (a 1 bedroom condo), there was some moderate damage. The candle did major damage to the dresser top it was placed on, destroyed the lampshade on the table, and left extensive smoke damage on the nearby walls. Ash from the small fire got on every surface in my unit, and went through my air ducts to stain laundry in the dryer.

   Though I know candles should never be left unattended, I find it ridiculous that this candle can create such a massive flame when only left alone for a very short period of time. Also, a quick google search indicates that this has happened to others.

   Model

   Scented candle

   Bought from

   Anthropologie, Virginia

   Bought

   Dec 31, 2009, about then

   Where

   Unspecified: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 27, Female

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Voluspa, made or sold by Flame and Wax, Inc

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

4. Hurt, no treatment

   Made Jan 4, 2013 · , sent to the company Jan 23, 2013 · , published by CPSC Feb 6, 2013

   The product, in the report: Voluspa Santiago Huckleberry, 3-wick candle in tin, sold through Anthropologie store

   I suspect that the Voluspa candle I bought at Anthropologie years ago may have been faulty. It is a 3 wick, Santiago Huckleberry scented Voluspa candle in a tin. The candle was towards the end of its life. Like all candles, I expected this one to go out once it reached the bottom. Instead, the entire tin (of about a 2-inch radius) was aflame. The flame was high enough and appeared out of control enough to set fire to things in its proximity. I saw it and put it out in time. Other than sputtering candle wax and smoke on some nearby fabric and the walls, there was no damage. It also singed my eyebrows, hairline and eyelashes.

   Model

   12581492

   Bought from

   Anthropologie

   Bought

   Jan 8, 2010, about then

   Where

   Charlestown, Massachusetts: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 28, Female

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Voluspa/ Anthropologie?, made or sold by Flame and Wax, Inc

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources