By Mark LaFlamme,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Fire Prevention Week with a candle safety theme officially began on Sunday. On Thursday, a fire inspector looking for the source of blaze on Rosedale Street the night before discovered the source of the fire: candle wax left in a pot on a stove burner.

Nobody was hurt in the 7:30 p.m. fire at 120 Rosedale St. Firefighters made quick work of the blaze, and most tenants who live in the building returned to their homes soon after.

Heat and smoke from the small fire, however, caused an estimated $30,000 damage to the apartment where the fire began. Leaf Dionne, who lived in the apartment where the fire originated, was unable to return to his home on Thursday.

Fire investigator Paul Ouellette said Dionne had left candle wax melting in a pot on the stove about 10 a.m. It took roughly nine hours for the wax to burn down and the pot to catch fire. Soon after, the stove, a microwave oven and part of a wall went up in flames.

“The first floor tenants heard the alarms going off upstairs,” Ouellette said. “The man who went up there had the sense to feel the door. He felt that it was warm, so he left it closed.”

Keeping the door closed may have helped prevent the flames from spreading and accelerating, Ouellette said.

Fire crews had the fire contained within minutes of their arrival.

“It was a very quick save,” Ouellette said.

There are four apartments in the building, which is owned by local landlord Paul Rancourt. All but Dionne were able to return home once smoke was ejected from the building with fans, Ouellette said.

He said many people melt candle wax to generate a pleasant aroma once the wick has burned down. But leaving the concoction unattended can have nasty consequences, Ouellette said.

“People will just take their old candles, glob it all together and heat it in a pot,” he said.

“It’s just ironic that the theme of Fire Prevention Week this year is candle safety. It didn’t take long for us to see a candle fire.”

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