To be worried about neighbour burning oil in communal stairwell?

[MrsWinnibago]

I live on the 1st floor of a block of 4 flats. On my floor there's us and our neighbour...below are two more flats.

The air in the stairs and communal area gets stuffy with cooking smells from 4 homes....I advocate opening the door to the gardens daily...twice daily at least.

My neighbours all prefer the door shut all day and to have numerous stinky air fresheners outside their doors.

Today I cam in to find my neighbour on my floor has lit an oil burner...the kind with a little candle under it and left it outside her door.

It is to one side but I am concerned it's not safe...also I have two children who could kick hot oil over their ankles. AIBU to ask her to get rid of it?

To be fair my DC don't really go near her door but it's literally only 4 feet from mine...also whatever she's burning stinks of Dettol! The bowl is full to the brim with oil too.

Well why should I point out that the burner could get damaged before I point out that my children could?

that someone thinks it's okay to leave a naked flame unattended. Okay, it's probably a very small naked flame, but sometimes that's all it takes.

Unless your neighbour is a twat difficult to deal with, I'd say something.

Goring I know! In flats too! She's quite young and a bit naive...but she's very nice. I think I'll wait to see if it's just a fad for today before saying anything. If she does it again then I will have to point it out to her.

Just blow it out

Windchime why didn't I think of that? I suppose I'm too respectful...of other people's stuff. Bit daft really! I'll go and do it now!

You know YANBU. Speak to her now, rather than leaving it and letting an accident happen.

Hello Mrs W, I'm very twitchy about fire, there was a huge fire in the (unoccupied) house next door to us (attached side of semi-detached) some years ago in the early hours of the morning, and without over-dramatising, our house was full of smoke and we could have died. Please have a word with your very nice neighbour - I hope she can be persuaded to see the benefits of fresh air.

Good luck. (And check your smoke detectors!)

bold fail

Building insurance will be invalid - wouldn't want to be the one who had invalidated it if worst came to worst.....

If reasoning with your nun fails, maybe you could contact your local fire bridge and ask them to do a safety check in your building. You know, the type where they ask if you have smoke alarms and will fit one for you if you haven't. When they are doing it they usually talk to you about general fire safety, using candles, toasters under wall cupboards in your kitchen, etc.

Next door neighbour NOT nun. Damn autocorrect.

I'd move it.

Every time they have it out, blow out the candle and move it a few meters down.

Next time, find a little suitcase and googly eyes. Stick the googly eyes on the oil burner, Move the burner to the top pf the stairs with the little suitcase and attach a note to the neighbours door (at oil burner hight) stating that:

"I'm leaving. You keep kicking me out so I'm going to somewhere that wants me"

Or call the landlord or firebrigade to have a word.

I would agree with involving the fire brigade in some way or other - before someone gets burned!

my oil burner went on fire-the whole thing candle,oil, burner , was lucky we were in the sitting room

there's still a burnt reminder in the carpet

ynbu

It will invalidate your buildings insurance - tell them, tell the management company, repeat in writing, and get them to stop, now. And yes, go blow it out!

Are there any plugs in the hallway... buy a plug in for them, tell them they can buy the refills. We used an anti tobacco one because our disgusting troglodyte neighbours kept their flat airtight, smoked 60 a day each and boiled cabbage 24 hours a day. The stench that crept out from under the door was bad enough, but if they opened it, OMG!, our flat would fill up with the stench n about 10 seconds.

The anti tobacco glade thing was the only thing that kept us sane.

tea lights are main sources of fire, i have had fire safety man round after we expereinced fire, I used to have hundreds I am now on battery operated candles everywhere. its not worth the risk,

call you local fire safety officer people and ask them to send someone round to do a fire risk in your flats and point this out, they should knock and tell them its a hazzard, a major one.

yes blow it out.

Useher the same thing happened to my sister, those things are really dangerous. It was fine, it was fine....it was on fire, it happened really quickly.

I agree that the OP needs to get it sorted now rather than waiting to see if it is a fad, some people really dont think the dangers through.

BTW it should be free and ours gave us the latest fire alarm.

Or sorry just call them ask to speak to fire safety office and say someone is burning oil with tea light in well, can they come round and speak to them direclty as they wont listen to you