A woman on TikTok is raising concerns about a Bath & Body Works candle after it allegedly caused a dangerous incident.
In the video, which has been viewed over 134,400 times at the time of writing, TikTok user Angie (@_anngieeeee) shows a broken, burnt candle that she says triggered smoke detectors and an alarm system.
“So can somebody from the Bath & Body Works executive team explain this to me?” Angie begins, filming the aftermath of the incident in her bathroom.
Did a Bath & Body Works candle cause a fire?
The candle, blackened and split in half, sits on her counter.
“My smoke detectors went off as well as my alarm system saying that there was a fire,” she explains. “And I came into my bathroom and saw this guy broken in half while on fire.”
Angie goes on reiterating she doesn’t know what might’ve cused the incident.
“I don’t know how this happened. It was halfway when I lit it, and this is what it looks like,” she explains.
As she touches the broken glass, she exclaims, “Oh, it’s hot. Crazy.”
The popular retailer’s candles have a checkered history. For example, a Bath & Body Works employee once shared that a Pumpkin Spice candle had to be pulled from shelves because “it smelled like pepper spray.” In other instances, a user filmed their candle combusting, while another claimed a candle ruined their TV.
How could this have happened?
One common theory circulating in the comments about Angie’s incident, however, is that she may not have trimmed the wicks before lighting the candle.
When candle wicks aren’t trimmed, they can burn too hot, causing excessive heat that can weaken or even crack the glass jar, as reported by Business Insider.
Bath & Body Works previously released a statement on how to safely use its candles, specifically mentioning the guideline to trim the wicks to around 1/4 inch before each use to prevent overheating and ensure a controlled burn.
Additionally, factors like burning a candle for longer than the recommended time (usually 3-4 hours) or placing it on an uneven or heat-sensitive surface could also contribute to issues like glass cracking, as reported by the National Candle Association.
Without confirmation from Bath & Body Works, however, the exact cause remains unclear. We’ve reached out to the company for more information.
@_anngieeeee Almost burnt my house down… Thankful for our @ADT alarm screaming at us that there was a fire. So crazy. Let this be a warning to never leave your house with a candle on because you never know what can happen. #bathandbodyworks #bathandbodycandles #fire #adtsecurity ♬ original sound – Anngieeee
Viewers react
In the comments, some users criticized Angie for not following candle safety guidelines, while others admitted they were unaware of the advice to trim the wick.
“Never leave a candle unattended,” advised one user. “Never!!!”
“You didn’t trim the wick and left it on to long,” alleged another.
“Am I the only one who has never trimmed a candle wick in my life?” asked a third.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Angie via TikTok comments We’ve reached out to Bath & Body Works via email.
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