The fire department says a candle was left unattended in an upstairs bedroom. The two people inside heard a smoke alarm and tried to get out. A 21-year-old woman saw smoke blocking her way downstairs, so she jumped from a second story window. She landed on a concrete patio deck and suffered a broken foot. She is being treated at Community North Hospital. The other resident escaped without injury.
There is extreme smoke and fire damage on the second floor of the home and water and smoke damage throughout the rest of the house.
Fires caused by unattended candles are a common enough occurrence to cause frustration among firefighters. "A candle left unattended is a dangerous thing. Any fire that's lit in a home like that that's left unattended is certainly a hazard," said Captain Jim King, Lawrence Township Fire Dept.
However, King said the working smoke detector played an important role in the fire. "The 21-year-old female that you spoke of, certainly the smoke alarms did save her life. She opened her bedroom door, she was awakened from sleep, and when she opened her bedroom door she was met with very heavy smoke conditions and fire. In fact the second floor had flashed over and fortunately she was able to kick out a screen, open the window and jump from the second floor to safety."
