HI Stef

Given that it is usually paraffin wax that is applied to cheese, or cheese dropped into cheese to coat it, I suspect that there is more to the fire that you refer to than just the wax.

OK, obvious paraffin wax can be burnt, but you would usually expect any fire to be limited.

So, then the question is whether perhaps a very small fire has initiated something larger?

To use the parallel of a candle, as long as it is standing up, any fire should be limited to the candle UNLESS you either dangle something flammable above the flame OR you overturn the candle so that it ignites flammable materials to the side OR, possibly you have a flammable atmosphere and that goes up in flames or bang.

Thank you both.

The details are yet unclear as to the cause of the fire in question. My guesses would be similar to yours Peter, a combination of inadequate breakers potentially fusing open in a wiring panel (heating things causes a lot of electrical heat) or something along the lines of an environmental aspect such as Polystyrene composite panels or atmosphere, which is something widely used as a result of pre-existing structures in the UK.

I was hoping to find more on advice and mitigation, for example, not having water anywhere near wax (obvious reasons) but I seem to be struggling a little.