"My children could have been killed" - Dad's horror after M&S Christmas candle goes up in flames

A dad claims his children 'could have been killed' after a battery-powered candle from M&S went up in flames. The £10 item caught fire last week giving Natan Elfassy, 44, a scare.

The sales director says he came back from visiting his own dad to to hear daughter Lottie, 13, screaming "fire, fire!". Natan tried to chuck water on the Christmas-themed Neon Heart Light Up candle - but that didn't work. His son Joe, 16, then threw him a wet towel which he used to smother the flame.

Natan, from Salford, says Lottie's bedroom has been damaged by the fire. Pictures show scorch marks on the walls. The candle itself is wax, which is surrounded by confetti gel in a glass jar. This has a heart decoration which lights up with neon effects.

Natan said of the ordeal: “When I saw the fire and smoke filling up the room I went straight into panic mode. I tried throwing water over it but it looked like it was going to explode in my face. Luckily my son knew exactly what to do – otherwise this could have killed my children and destroyed their home.

“Lottie has always been very careful when using candles – lighting them with a safety lighter, keeping it away from anything that could burn and blowing it out before she goes to sleep. I am shocked this has happened.”

Lottie added: “I tried blowing out the fire at first. But that didn’t work because the flame was too big, so I started shouting. I was really scared.”

Natan said Lottie’s room and some furniture were damaged in the fire, including shelves, a nearby wardrobe and curtains. The pink walls have also been ruined with soot.

After determining the candle no longer posed any risk, Natan immediately contacted M&S customer service to raise his alarm about the candle. It's understood it has since been removed from sale as it was seasonal product.

Natan added: “I always think anything from Marks and Spencer is a quality item. But if hadn’t have come home when I had, my children would have been in serious danger. I am absolutely astounded how something so small and beautiful could be completely dangerous. I am so worried about this because it will mainly be teenagers buying these types of candles and I wouldn’t want anything like this happening to other families."

An M&S spokesperson said: “All of our candles – including this one – are rigorously tested, meet all required safety standards and come with instructions on safe use, advising customers to never leave a burning candle unattended or in reach of children.

"We have been selling Christmas light up candles for over five years but of course we take Mr Elfassy’s complaint seriously and apologise for the inconvenience caused. As a precaution, we have asked Mr Elfassy to return the candle to us so we can investigate and have temporarily removed similar products from sale until that investigation is complete.”