By ThePreppersBlueprint.com Editorial Team
The short answer: When the power goes out, battery-powered light is the default, and open flame is the last resort. The CDC, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the American Red Cross all tell households to use flashlights or other battery-powered lights instead of candles. Ready.gov also recommends a flashlight for every person in the household. Real backup lighting comes down to three things. Put the right light in each room ahead of time. Store and charge batteries so they don’t become a fire hazard. Never bring fuel-burning lights indoors.
This walkthrough covers your home one room at a time and ends with a lighting map you can fill out for your own floor plan.
Why Candles Are the Last Resort, Not the Plan
Candles feel like the classic outage move. The safety agencies treat them as a fallback. In a CDC public service message on candle use during outages, the agency warns that home fires are a real threat after a natural disaster, and that fire trucks may have trouble getting to your home. If you must burn a candle, the CDC says to put it in a safe holder away from anything that can catch fire and never leave it unattended (CDC). CPSC adds that you should put out candles when you leave the room and before you sleep (CPSC).
Fire data shows why the bedroom is the worst place for a candle. NFPA research from 2015 to 2019, as summarized by the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal, found that roughly a third of home candle fires started in bedrooms. About three in five started when something that could burn was left too close to the flame. The same summary warns never to use a candle in a home where medical oxygen is used (Illinois State Fire Marshal).
If a candle is truly your only option:
- Keep it at least 12 inches from anything that can burn, and blow it out before you leave the room or go to bed (NFPA).
- Put it in a sturdy holder on a stable, heat-resistant surface, out of reach of children and pets. Keep it away from drafts from open windows, fans, or vents (National Candle Association).
- Never let a candle stand in for a night light. An overnight light should be battery-powered.
The Hard Line: No Fuel-Burning Lights Indoors
Propane, kerosene, and other fuel-burning lanterns are a separate hazard from candles, and a more dangerous one. According to the CDC, carbon monoxide is produced whenever fuel burns, including in lanterns and stoves. The CDC also notes that people who are asleep can die from carbon monoxide before they ever notice symptoms (CDC). CDC prevention guidance says never to use a lantern or portable camp stove inside a home, tent, or camper (CDC).
If you run a generator to power lights, Ready.gov says to use it only outdoors and away from windows. It also recommends installing carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup in central locations on every level of your home (Ready.gov).
Safety limit: The CDC lists headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion as the most common carbon monoxide symptoms (CDC). It advises getting medical help right away if carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected (CDC). If anyone has these symptoms while fuel-burning equipment is running, get everyone out of the area, and call 911 if it’s an emergency. This article is general safety education, not medical advice.
The Room-by-Room Walkthrough
Bedrooms: Light Within Arm’s Reach
Outages often start at night, so each sleeper needs a light they can find in the dark without getting up. A nightstand flashlight or headlamp covers this. Bedrooms are where candle fires most often start, so keep this room flame-free. One caution about charging: NFPA advises against charging devices under a pillow, on a bed, or on a couch (NFPA). Charge a rechargeable light on a hard surface, such as a nightstand, not on bedding.
Hallways and Stairs: Light the Path Out
Plan the route from each bedroom to an exit before you need it. Put a light at the top and bottom of any stairway and one along each hallway. Anyone walking the route should carry a hand-held or head-mounted light. NFPA’s charging guidance also warns against blocking exits with charging devices (NFPA, via LA County Fire). Keep charging stations off stairs and out of doorways.
Kitchen: Hands-Free Task Light
Kitchens mean knives, hot surfaces, and working with both hands. A headlamp or a lantern set on the counter works better than a flashlight held in one hand. Don’t light the gas range for light or heat. The CDC warns never to heat a home with a gas oven (CDC).
Bathroom: Low, Steady, Flame-Free
Bathrooms are small rooms full of towels and paper, and people often use them half-asleep. A small battery lantern, or a flameless candle placed out of reach of children, provides steady, low light without a flame.
Living Area: One Central “Base Camp” Light
If your household plans to gather in one room during a long outage, one lantern there can light everyone at once and save the batteries in each person’s flashlight. Put it on a stable surface where it won’t be knocked over. Make this room the place where the household meets and checks in.
Garage and Basement: Utility Light, Zero Fuel
You go to these spaces to check the breaker panel, sump, or water heater, and fuel equipment often gets staged there. Use battery light only. CDC guidance for power outages says never to use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline- or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, or garage. The same guidance says not to use them outside within 20 feet of a window, door, or vent (CDC).
Kit Storage: Where the Batteries Live
Ready.gov’s basic disaster kit list includes a flashlight, extra batteries, and a cell phone with chargers and a backup battery. It also says everyone in the household should know where the kit is kept (Ready.gov). Store spare batteries with the kit, but follow the storage rules in the next section.
Battery Safety: Your Backup Power Has Its Own Fire Risk
Battery-powered light is the safer choice, but batteries still carry some risk. The main hazards are these:
- Loose 9-volt batteries: NFPA explains that the two posts on a 9-volt battery sit close together. A metal object that touches both posts can short the battery and produce enough heat to start a fire. Don’t keep 9-volt batteries loose in a drawer with coins, keys, paper clips, or other batteries. Store them standing up, and tape over the posts before disposal (NFPA tip sheet, via City of Oklahoma City).
- Lithium-ion lights and power banks: The U.S. Fire Administration says to stop using a lithium-ion battery if it gives off an odor, changes color or shape, gets too hot, leaks, or makes odd noises. It also says to store spares away from anything that can burn, keep them out of direct sunlight and hot cars, and recycle them instead of throwing them in the trash. It advises against charging lithium-ion batteries below 32°F or above 105°F (U.S. Fire Administration).
- Chargers and certification: NFPA recommends buying devices listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, using the battery and charging cord designed for the device, and not leaving a device charging after it is full (NFPA).
- Coin batteries in small lights: CPSC lists flameless candles and keychain flashlights among the household products that may use button or coin batteries (CPSC, Federal Register). CPSC warns that a child swallowing one of these batteries can be devastating and deadly in a short time (CPSC). Keep these lights, their remotes, and spare coin cells out of children’s reach. If you think a child has swallowed a button or coin battery, take them to an emergency room right away (Indiana University battery safety resource).
Your Lighting Map: Fill It Out Room by Room
Walk your home once in daylight and write down four things for each room: the primary light, where it lives, the backup, and what is banned there. Here is a starting template you can adapt:
- Each bedroom: Primary is a flashlight or headlamp on the nightstand. Backup is the sleeper’s phone light. Banned: candles and charging on bedding.
- Hallways and stairs: Primary is a battery light at each end of the path. Backup is whatever light the person walking is carrying. Banned: charging stations in the exit path.
- Kitchen: Primary is a headlamp or counter lantern. Backup is a flashlight kept in a set drawer. Banned: using a gas range or oven for light or heat.
- Bathroom: Primary is a small battery lantern or a flameless candle kept out of children’s reach. Banned: open flame near towels and paper.
- Living area (base camp): Primary is one central lantern on a stable surface. Backup is personal flashlights. Banned: unattended candles.
- Garage and basement: Primary is a battery work light. Banned: every fuel-burning light, stove, and generator.
- Kit location: Store spare batteries with 9-volt posts protected, keep lithium-ion spares away from anything that burns, and keep coin cells away from children.
- Every level of the home: A working smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide detector with battery backup. The Red Cross recommends battery-backup smoke alarms on every floor, inside and outside sleeping areas, tested monthly (American Red Cross).
What’s Known and What’s Still Uncertain
Well established: The government and fire-safety sources cited here agree on the core points. Use battery light before flame. Keep fuel-burning devices out of the house. Keep working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level.
Less certain: National fire data on lithium-ion batteries in the home is still incomplete. Trade coverage of NFPA’s 2026 Fire Prevention Week campaign reports that NFPA does not yet track national data on home fires caused specifically by lithium-ion batteries, though the organization points to a growing number of reported incidents (Security Systems News). Real-world runtime is also uncertain. Manufacturer runtime ratings vary, and you won’t know how long an outage will last, so test your own lights instead of trusting the label.
Your Next Practical Decision
Pick one evening this week to turn off the main lights and walk your home using only your backup lights. Every spot where you stumble, fumble, or reach for a lighter is a gap on your lighting map. Fix those gaps first. Then set a recurring reminder to test every light and alarm, swap out weak or damaged batteries, and review your kit as your household changes. Ready.gov recommends rethinking your kit needs every year (Ready.gov).
Plan ahead for medical needs: If anyone in your home relies on power-dependent medical equipment or on medicine that must stay refrigerated, lighting is only part of the plan. Ready.gov advises having alternate plans for those needs and going to a community location with power if the heat or cold becomes extreme (Ready.gov). Talk with the equipment supplier or your health care provider about a backup plan.
This article is general preparedness and safety education. It is not professional fire-safety, electrical, or medical advice. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for any lighting or battery product, and follow directions from local emergency officials during an outage.