'I heard a loud cracking sound, then it exploded!'

A Sydney mum has been left reeling after a popular candle exploded, causing a fire in her home right in front of her child.

Relaxing in her living room with a sweet-smelling candle burning gently in the background is one of Lola’s favourite simple pleasures.

Or, at least, it was - until last week …

While sitting on the couch with her 14-year–old son, the single mum from Sydney got a frightening scare she never, ever expected.

“There was no warning,” the 37-year-old tells Kidspot.

“I heard a loud cracking sound, then the candle exploded and I screamed. Within seconds, the wick had spread all over the broken glass and there was a mound of fire.”

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The 'Decadent Scents' candle range is very popular. Image: Supplied

Shattered glass, everywhere!

Sitting just two metres away from the entryway table that the ‘Creme Brulee’ fragrance candle was placed on, Lola instantly managed to put the fire out by throwing a damp kitchen towel that she grabbed from the kitchen and placed it over the flames before it spread.

“There was shattered glass all over the table and one piece landed on the carpet,” she says, still shocked at how fast it all happened in front of her eyes. 

While the fire left a large burn mark on her table, there was no further damage to the home or any injuries to her or her son.

“Thinking about that glass potentially shattering into our eyes has given me anxiety.”

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Lola says she followed safety measures, such as not placing the candle - which she purchased earlier this year and is not currently available online - near any flammable material or a draught or leaving it unattended. It was lit for only 40 minutes by the time of the fire - far less than the 4-hour advised maximum on the packaging.

She readily admits that she did not, however, heed the instructions that candles should not be used “once they have burnt to 1 cm from the base of the holder”.

“I didn’t read [the instructions],” the mum-of-one says.

“I didn’t think I needed to as I’ve used candles for many years, and always the same way. With any other candle I’ve used such as Glasshouse and Dusk, nothing has happened and I use it until the wax is all melted down. They shouldn’t explode if there is a small amount of wax left - other candles don’t do that. When I buy a candle, I always use it all.”   

The Sydney mum was shocked to hear the explosion. Image: Supplied

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This wasn't a "user error"

Lola insists she is not at fault for the explosion and subsequent fire.

“It’s 100 percent not user error,” she says.

“When I posted it to Facebook to warn others, so many people said it happened to them too.” 

In fact, it’s not the first time it has happened to Lola, either.

“This is the second time it’s happened to me,” says.

“The first time was last year. It exploded, but a fire didn’t start from it. I never thought this type of thing could happen twice, I just thought it was a faulty candle. It was lucky that neither of us got hurt both times. It was really frightening.”

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Lola has attempted to phone Kmart, which stocks the candle, to notify the retailer of the incident, but has not yet been able to get through to speak to customer service. She does not have her receipt, so has not tried to seek a refund in store.

She still has an unused similar candle in her home, which she’s undecided about whether to use at all.

“It’s a bigger one, with thicker glass so I don’t know that the same thing would happen, but I can’t return it as I don’t have the receipt so I might just have to keep it as a decoration.”

The traumatic incident hasn’t extinguished her love of fragranced candles, however.

“I think candles are safe,” she explains.

“I just think manufacturers shouldn’t make flammable products that can break so easily. These should be pulled off the shelf and tested more."

Kidspot has contacted Kmart for comment but it has not responded at the time of publication.

Originally published as 'I heard a loud cracking sound, then it exploded!'