Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

Experiments are described which show that paper and cotton cloth may be ignited in about three seconds by the invisible stream of hot air from a domestic electric firelighter and that ignition is possible up to about 6 in from the end of the nozzle. The nozzle and exposed parts of the barrel become sufficiently hot to ignite materials in contact with them and take a considerable time to cool after the heater has been switched off. It is concluded that great care should be exercised when using domestic electric firelighters and that they are unsuitable for use by elderly or infirm people and must be kept out of the hands of children.