A candle that was knocked over started a fire in the back bedroom of a house in the 300 block of West Canada, displacing the resident that lived there. The resident lit a candle in the back bedroom to pray when the candle was knocked over. The flame ignited combustible material and quickly grew.
The resident attempted to get a hose but the fire grew too quickly and the resident stayed outside. Fire crews arrived to find smoke coming from the home. Firefighters pulled a hose line into the house through the door near the carport and quickly went down the hallway and to the back bedroom. The contents of the room were on fire but the fire was quickly extinguished before it spread to the structural members of the house.
The gas and electric utilities were shut off for safety purposes by additional personnel on scene. 9 units and 23 firefighters responded to the scene and controlled the fire seven minutes after arriving.
The resident was unharmed and was going to stay with relatives.
Safety Message: There are more than 15,000 home candle fires each year and more than half of all candle fires start when something that could burn, such as furniture, mattresses or bedding, curtains, or decorations is too close to the candle. Keep candles at least 12” from anything that can burn and never leave burning candles unattended.