Resident 'Lucky to be Alive' after Candles Lit During Power Outage Cause Fire

A man in his mid-20s lit some candles for light during the power outage that affected nearly 3,000 residents Monday night.

The renter, who was the sole occupant of the home, lived on the 1000 block of Rosewood, north of Nine Mile and east of Hilton. He fell asleep and woke up to the sound of breaking glass.

"He's lucky to be alive," Ferndale Fire Marshal Brian Batten said.

The responded to the fire at 3:20 a.m. and quickly extinguised the blaze, Batten said.

The fire started in the living room when a candle, which Batten suspects was a tea candle, burned down near combustibles on a corner table, between a chair and a sofa.

The home was small, Batten said, but had a high ceiling that may have saved the man's life.

"The ceiling was a cathedral ceiling. If it was a flat ceiling, he might not have made it out," Batten said. He said the cathedral ceiling provide more space for the smoke and heat.

"The heat busted out a window and vented the smoke," he said.

Batten said the victim told him when he woke up he ran into the living room, back into the bedroom and then out the back door. "Thirty seconds or a minute longer, he wouldn't have been able to make it out," Batten said. "He would have had to jump through a window or something."

The resident suffered a little smoke inhalation, Batten said, but no severe injuries.

The renter and homeowner didn't have insurance, Batten said. He estimates the home sustained about $40,000 in damages. "Everything in the living room is destroyed," he said.

Fire marshal power outage tips

Batten said that the best thing to do when the power goes out is be prepared. Have flashlights and batteries readily available. If you utilized medical equipment, make sure you have batteries or a way to power the devices.

If you use candles, he said, make sure you don't leave them unattended. Blow them out when you leave the room or go to sleep. Candles should be placed inside jars or candleholders and not near anything combustible, such as paper, cloth or gas. At the very least, he said, place them on a wide plate.