A Moray woman had to be rushed hospital with serious burns after a scented candle overheated and exploded in her hands.
Anne Smith was watching TV in her Forres home earlier this week when she lit a gel candle to help set a relaxing mood.
However, within 20 minutes the Air Wick pearl infusions jelly candle began to produce a “huge” flame, and roused the smoke detectors in the property.
When Mrs Smith moved to dispose of the blazing item, its glass casing exploded and caused scalding hot gel to burn fingers on both of her hands.
Her husband Robert promptly drove his shaken spouse to the nearby Forres Health Centre and from there she was rushed via ambulance to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin to have her blistered and swollen digits treated.
During a six-hour stay at the hospital Mrs Smith was placed on morphine to help her cope with the pain as doctors treated her wounds.
The 35-year-old, who is employed as a carer, has been unable to work since Monday’s accident.
Speaking last night the mum-of-two said that, despite having some bandages removed earlier in the day, the burns still cause her constant pain.
Mrs Smith said: “I just lit the candle for the nice smell really, while I was watching TV, but within 20 minutes of lighting it the smoke alarm was going off.
“The candle was producing a huge flame, which must have been about 18 inches high.
“There was no way it was supposed to go that high, so I tried to take it through to the sink and at that point it just exploded in my hands.
“It must have been quite a heat to make the glass burst apart like that, and the pain was unbearable.”
Air Wick yesterday moved to assure customers that their products undergo rigorous safety checks before going on sale, and said they plan to perform tests on the malfunctioning candle.
But Mrs Smith, who has retained the blackened and shattered casing and its contents so they can be evaluated, has warned others to exert care when using the candles.
The drama unfolded at 3pm on Monday afternoon, and after spending an hour at the Forres Health Centre, staff there judged her injuries so severe that she was taken by ambulance to Dr Gray’s.
At 9pm that evening the injured mum was allowed to return home.
Mrs Smith, who does not yet know when she will be able to return to work, added: “It was a real shock but I am lucky in a way as it could have burst near my face or anything.”
Mrs Smith moved to Forres last year with husband Robert and children Abigail, 16, Jon, 11, and their eight-year-old chocolate Labrador Benji.
Last night a spokeswoman for Air Wick said the firm had been in contact with the Smith family since Monday, and planned to investigate the cause of the accident.
She said: “We were very concerned to hear of this incident and take it very seriously.
“We have already contacted Mrs Smith, and hope to speak to her further in order to ascertain exactly what happened, and to retrieve the product for testing.
“However, Airwick’s range of candles are used in thousands of homes safely every day.
“They are developed in line with stringent UK and EU regulations, and undergo extensive laboratory testing prior to going on sale.
“We ensure that clear usage instructions and safety warnings are on the packaging.”
Moray mum burned by exploding gel candle
