Gloucester Fire Leaves Home Uninhabitable

GLOUCESTER, MA – An unattended candle lit up a Spruce Road home in a one-alarm fire last week, fire investigators determined.

Gloucester Police called the fire department to the house on Spruce Road around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 17. Engines 1, 2, 3, and Ladder 1 and Rescue 1 responded, according to a news release.

Smoke could be seen coming out of the top floor of the two-story home, and all occupants were already out of the house when firefighters arrived. The homeowner told firefighters that he had attempted to put out the fire with a dry chemical extinguisher, but was driven back by the smoke and heat.

Gloucester Fire Chief Eric Smith estimated the damages at $70,000, and said the home is uninhabitable. Fire investigators did not find anything suspicious about the blaze, and determined it was caused by a candle left burning on a bedroom dresser.

"I commend our firefighters for their quick thinking and teamwork in tackling this fire," Smith said in the news release. "Their response was both timely and smart, which saved the owner’s possessions in other areas of the home as well as the structure itself."

Image courtesy of the Gloucester Fire Department