With Halloween being right around the corner, we're seeing more and more Jack-o'-lanterns on people's stoops and porches. Of course, they look even cooler when they are lit up at night.

Now, the old-school way people in Illinois make their Jack-o'-lanterns glow is with a small tea candle. You know, the tiny white candles you only see at wedding receptions or in pumpkins around Halloween. As cool as it is to see the fire of a candle make your Jack-o'-lantern glow, it could be the thing that destroys everything you have.

If you're not convinced to switch to a safer way to make your Jack-o'-lantern glow, then you need to leave your home immediately if you start smelling fruit. That's because your pumpkin -- and probably your home -- is on fire.

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Smell Burning Fruit? Halloween Just Got A Lot Scarier

If you are asking yourself, "What's the burning smell?", It's probably not a good thing. Anything that's burning is a bad smell, but burning fruit during Halloween means really one thing: a pumpkin is on fire.

Yes, pumpkin is a fruit and most people use pumpkins during Halloween to turn them into Jack-o'-lanterns. The traditional way to display a Jack-o'-lantern is with a candle but that is extremely dangerous.

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The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal says that when putting up Halloween and Fall decorations, they want you to keep fire safety tips in mind. Pumpkins that are illuminated with candles and a Jack-o'-lantern that has a flame is a dangerous one.

The National Fire Protection Association says that decorations were the first thing to ignite in roughly 900 reported home fires each year.

Is It Against The Law To Use Real Candles In Jack-o'-lanterns?

No, candles in pumpkins aren't illegal in Illinois. But if you're still using real candles to illuminate Jack-o'-lanterns, you need to start strongly reconsidering.

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Officials in Illinois have given plenty of alternatives to help light up your jack-o-lantern so that one flame from a pumpkin candle doesn't set your home ablaze: Use battery-operated candles.

Buy those cheap battery-powered ones for next to nothing and you don't have to buy new ones every year. For those who still want to use real candles, the OSFM has recommendations for you so you don't light anything else on fire.

More Great Halloween Safety TipsTo Follow

Besides setting our home on fire with your Jack-o'-lantern, Illinois officials have a few more Halloween safety tips.

These tips also help with not starting your home or yourself on fire. Yes, these apply to both residents in Illinois and Iowa.

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  • When choosing costumes make sure to stay away from long trailing fabric
  • Keep exits clear of decorations, so nothing blocks escape routes
  • Always check smoke alarms to make sure they are working
  • Dried cornstalks, dried flowers, and paper decorations catch fire easily, make sure to keep any open flames and heat sources, such as light bulbs, at a safe distance

Be careful carving and lighting pumpkins, trick-or-treating, and celebrating Halloween 2024!

Quad Cities Pumpkin Patches

It's pumpkin pickin' time in the Quad Cities. Pumpkins make great fall decorations and they are obviously fun to carve. If buying a pumpkin at a store doesn't cut it and you want the full experience of a pumpkin patch, we have the full list of pumpkin patches throughout the Quad Cities. If we are missing any local pumpkin patches, email us here.

Gallery Credit: Connor Kenney/Townsquare Media Quad Cities

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