Holiday Candle Causes Church Fire In Arlington Heights

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Fire officials are blaming an unattended holiday candle for starting an accidental fire at an Arlington Heights church. Firefighters were initially called to the Christian Church of Arlington Heights at around 3 p.m. Sunday for an activated fire alarm. First arriving crews reported smoke coming from a conference room on the southeast corner of the structure and upgraded the alarm to a working fire.

The main body of the fire was controlled within 10 minutes, according to a release from the Arlington Heights Fire Department. Extra time was taken to check for fire extension into the roof structure.

There were no firefighter or civilian injuries due to the fire or extinguishment efforts, according to the release. The office and sanctuary area at the church are remaining unoccupied at this time. The classroom area was undamaged.

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Fire officials are reminding residents that December is the peak time of year for home candle fires.

"Never place lit candles to close to items that can burn, keep them out of reach of children and pets and never leave candles unattended," the fire department said in the release.