On Wednesday, 8 November 2017 19:27:36 UTC, wrote:
According to the International Code Council General Precautions Against Fire, in chapter 3 , 308.3.2, it basically says the space needed above candle for safety is what ever is needed to be able to hold a tissue above flame for 10 seconds without the tissue catching fire.

This thread is 16 years old. *16!*

(Oh, and I think the OP's house burnt down in the end. Something about a misplaced box of tissues...)