Candle left burning in house causes $10,000 in damage

On 12-16-14 at approximately 0806 hours, Humboldt Bay Fire was dispatched to a possible structure fire on the 900 block of Hill St. in Eureka.  HBF responded with a full first alarm assignment consisting of three fire engines, one ladder truck and two Chief Officers.
First arriving units located the actual incident location at a duplex at 1231 Myrtle Ave., but accessed off of Hill St.  Crews encountered the tenant who stated that there had been a fire in the bedroom of his apartment, but he had extinguished it using a garden hose.  Crews investigated the interior of the apartment and found extensive smoke damage through, with heavy fire and smoke damage in the bedroom.  The tenant stated he had entered and exited the residence three times to attempt to suppress the fire prior to the fire department arriving.
Crews remained on scene for approximately one hour to ensure that the fire was indeed out, clean up water from the floor, and to investigate the fire cause.  The fire did approximately $10,000 damage to the structure and contents therein.  There were no injuries.
The tenants had left approximately one hour prior to go for a walk, but had left a candle burning on top of chest of drawers in the bedroom.   Investigation showed the cause of the fire was the unattended candle.
Humboldt Bay Fire would like to remind residents that leaving lit candles unattended, as in this case, can result in great danger to lives and property.  If using candles, please make sure that they are extinguished prior to leaving your residence.
Additionally, re-entering a structure that is on fire is extremely dangerous.  Once you have escaped safely, there is no guarantee that if you re-enter that you’ll be able to escape again.  Often times, persons re-entering a structure that is on fire become trapped and require rescue from fire personnel.  This can also result in delayed notification of the fire department.  While this situation did not result in injury, the potential for injury or loss of life is increased dramatically.