Unattended Candle To Blame For Weekend Fire In Home, According To Fire Officials In Rye

RYE, NY — The homeowners weren't home when fire broke out in their Rye house, but the alarm system alerted firefighters.

At 5:22 pm on Sunday, the City of Rye Fire Department responded to an automatic residential fire alarm on Douglas Circle, in the Greenhaven section of Rye.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw flames inside the house through the front picture window. They forced entry into the home and encountered heavy smoke in the front hallway. The fire was located on the first floor and extinguished quickly.

The crew then searched the home for any occupants, but none were found, and it was confirmed that all occupants were out of the house.

Although the home received a significant amount of smoke damage and several Christmas gifts were destroyed, there was no other fire damage to the house, according to fire officials.

The Westchester County Cause and Origin Team determined that the fire was caused by an unattended candle. If not for working smoke detectors, an alarm system, and a quick response, the fire would likely have spread to the nearby Christmas tree and the rest of the home, causing a much larger amount of damage, fire investigators said.

The Rye Fire Department was assisted by on scene by the Rye Brook Fire Department, the Larchmont Fire Department, the Westchester County Cause and Origin Team, and the Rye Police Department. There were no reported injuries at the scene, and the house was turned back over to the homeowner at 6:42 p.m. on Sunday.