Unattended lit candles caused a small fire midday Thursday in the upstairs room of a home in the First Place neighborhood in east Vancouver.
Vancouver Fire Department Engine 10 responded to a residential fire alarm at 1108 N.E. 151st Ave. around 12:05 p.m., said Kevin Stromberg, a fire department spokesman.
Crews arrived five minutes later and found light smoke coming out of a two-story home, he said. No one was home at the time.
Just as firefighters started to make a forced entry, the homeowner arrived, let firefighters inside and said they had left candles burning in an upstairs bedroom, Stromberg said.
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Firefighters took a water cannon inside and doused the flames, which caused an estimated $5,000 in smoke damage.
The flames also burned through a table and ignited part of the carpet.
No one was injured.
“We get candle fires a couple times a year,” he said. “If you light the candles, you have to stay to observe them.”
County property records indicate the home is owned by a Sokha and Connie Mom Chhing.
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