COLUMBUS, Ind. — An unattended candle sparked a mobile home fire that forced the evacuation of a woman and seven children in Columbus Wednesday morning, the fire department said.
Shortly before 11 a.m. Dec. 6, firefighters responded to the fire on Rosewood Lane in the Candlelight Village community, near Rocky Ford Road and Central Avenue. Crews were able to contain the fire to a bedroom, thanks in part to the woman closing the bedroom door upon discovering the fire, officials said.
The woman told firefighters that seven children and herself had been in the home at the time of the fire. All the children and the woman made it out without injuries. No firefighters were hurt.
"Investigators have ruled the cause of the fire as accidental as a result of an unattended candle placed near combustible materials," the Columbus Fire Department said in a statement. A plastic laundry tote was found near a burning candle on top of a dresser.
The fire is estimated to have done roughly $25,000 in damage, and there was smoke damage throughout the home, temporarily displacing the family.
"We would like to again share the importance of working smoke alarms and fire prevention safe practices," the department said.