Candle Sparks Fire, Severely Damages Arlington Home
ARLINGTON (CBS) -- A candle is believed to be the cause of a fire that forced an elderly man and his two daughters out of their Arlington house Sunday.
Firefighters responded to the house on Cleveland Street around 9 a.m. According to the family, who did not want to be identified, the fire accidentally started in one of the bedrooms. Seconds later, smoke was billowing out of the home.
"My mom passed away in March and he was lighting a candle and I don't know what happened, the candle dropped or something," said the woman. Her father is 90-years-old.
When firefighters arrived, they were able to assist the two daughters who were helping their father out of the two-family home.
Dan Holabaugh saw what happened. "First thing I saw when I looked out was when the two daughters brought their father out, and got him out, and set him on the ground. That was the big moment. Everything was okay," he recalled.
The 90-year-old suffered minor smoke inhalation and was treated on scene by EMS and released. No one else was injured.
Deputy Fire Chief Jim Bailey said the frigid temperatures made it hard for firefighters to do their jobs. "Cold weather makes it challenging because we use a lot of water so things are icing up on us quickly," he said. "It's the winter time, you got to be careful with unattended candles and space heaters and things like that."
According to the fire department, about $500,000 was done in damages. "The entire building is damaged, whether it's from smoke, water or fire."
