Detecting a candle

Hello,
I need to build a robot that can detect and differentiate the color of burning candles and put them out for a project. I was looking at some IR range finders and color sensors and there were many choices but there aren't many thermal sensors.

Can someone tell me if this thermal sensor is any good?
Devantech 8 Pixel Thermal Array Sensor | Robot Sensors - RobotShop
On it's website, there is a line that says, "Although useful in robotics, their applications are limited as they are unable to detect and measure the temperature of a static heat source", so I am not sure about it.

if it is not good, please give me some suggestion on how to detect a candle.

Thank you very much for your time.

That seems like a very nice module, it's also very expensive. I'm not sure why you're asking this question, it specifically states that it can detect candle heat, what they mean by a static heat source is ordinary every day objects like people or other warm objects, it needs a pretty serious temperature gradient to sense anything, for detecting a candle this is particularly useful especially it being an array. You could probably increase it's sensitivity by chilling it if it's required.

Alternatives

Are there any similar or alternate solutions that are less expensive? That module is over 1/4 of my project's budget ><.

Here's an idea.

Use a thermistor and a parabolic reflector from a torch (flash light)

Th2 is the compensator which is inside the box and is at the ambient temperature.

Th1 is the sensor.

The circuit works by looking at the difference in temperature between Th1 and Th2, then Th1 is the warmest, the D1 is turned on.

You'll need to adjust R1 until D1 is off but is triggered when Th1 is near the heat source you want to detect.

R3 adds some hysteresis to the circuit, there might be too much so increase it to 10M if you like.

U1 could be the LM311 rather than the LM393. The LM311 has a higher output drive capacity and will drive a small relay, without an additional driver transistor.

Reference:
I got the idea from Forrest Mims Sensor Projects, page 42 & 43.

Well you can look for something else. The sensor you linked said it can detect wavelengths between 2um and 22um so you at least have a clue what to look for in other sensors. You could use a non contact IR thermometer, I bought one for 60 bucks, and I know they make cheaper ones. They generally have a wide field of view so you'll have to use a lens and/or a tube like cowl to limit it's vision, main problem I see with that is the update rate of the thermometer sensors is extremely low, usually only like once per second. You could use a simpler visual system, but it's going to get mixed up with other bright objects that aren't hot.