A mum has been left shaken after claiming her Kmart glass candle suddenly exploded right next to her sleeping four-year-old son.
Mum-of-one Crystal Howell got the shock of her life after she claims her glass scented candle from Kmart suddenly exploded into pieces over the nightstand next to her bed.
The 25-year-old from Nowra, New South Wales, Australia, had lit the scented candle and had been watching a movie with her son Benjamin, four, last week when he drifted off to sleep.
The mum said she was enjoying the peace when she claims to have heard a deafening bang from ‘some sort of explosion’ and discovered her bedside candle had exploded.
The housing officer claims there were bits of glass everywhere and the candle was ‘still burning’ after the alleged explosion – but she quickly blew it and was ‘thankful’ it had not started a fire.
She said: “My son and I were laying down in bed watching a movie. I’d put the candle on less than hour before it happened to make the room smell nice.
“My son had just drifted off to sleep and all of a sudden there was a loud ‘bang’. It was so loud and really scared me.
“It sounded like glass exploding. I first ran to the front door because I thought someone was breaking not the house and smashed a window.
“When nothing was broken, I ran back into my room and saw the candle still burning with glass smashed everywhere.
“I quickly went to blow out the flame. I’m just so thankful it hadn’t knocked onto the floor or the bed and started a fire.
“I think it definitely could have been worse. If I had fallen asleep or not heard it I think it would have burnt my house down with Benjamin and me inside.
“I was very scared and shaken up about the whole thing.”
The mum claims to have bought the $6 candle from her local Kmart store in Nowra, New South Wales, last month and claims to have only used it around five times before the incident.
She said: “I’m really disappointed at Kmart, you just wouldn’t expect something like this to happen.
“I complained online, and they called me and offered a refund. But I won’t be buying their candle ever again.”
A spokesperson for Kmart said: “At Kmart Australia, we are committed to the quality and safety of all our products by ensuring that they are fully compliant with regulations and safety standards.
“We test our candles, list safety instructions and when adhered to the product is safe to use. We encourage all those who own a candle to ensure they carefully review the candle care instructions listed on the product as a safety precaution.”
