Almost died last night

It started with a candle.

Steve had set it, a tea light, from IKEA, on the mantle.
Then I opened my mouth, and said, "Why did you just stick the bare little candle up there? We DO have a very cute pumpkin candle holder you can put it in, right next to where you set it!" So, I proceeded to put said candle in it's rightful place.

I was busy on the computer :) and Steve was getting things together for today, when he very calmly walked into our room, and said, "Why don't you go take a look at your cute pumpkin candle holder now."

So I jumped up. And walked to the living room, to see the candle holder in flames.
I was super nervous, even though the flames were small, and thought, I can just blow out the candle, duh. So I proceeded to walk over, huff, and puff, and a HUGE BALL of flames shot out from the pumpkin. By huge, I am talking like, the size of a softball. Which, when flaming on your wood mantle, next to your darling children, is actually the size of an atomic bomb.

Emily, watching from the other side of the room, said, "Dad tried that too."
Thanks Em.

So, water, I thought.
Now running to the kitchen, I grab a cup full of water, and a dish towel, to clean up the spilled water.

I got a bit too close, and poured the glass upon the pumpkin.
Flames shot all the way up to the top of the painting we have over the fireplace, about three feet above the pumpkin.

Brody screamed, and ran to his room. (Where he stayed, in the dark, head buried under his pillow, until I went and rescued him after the commotion was over.)

Just like that, the flames disappeared, and the fire was out.

But I was seriously shaken.
A stupid candle holder, and our home could have been gone.

And incidentally, when Steve finally came out of the BATHROOM, he said, "What happened?" I said, "I had to pour water on it, to put it out."

He said, "I bet it totally exploded."

Uh, yeah, it did.
Thanks for your help.