Burning candle cited as cause of house fire

A burning candle left unwatched in an upstairs bathroom is being blamed for a fire morning Monday at 1980 Briarwood Drive, said Capt. Scott Altenthal of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

The candle was left burning on the sink by the tenant, and wax ran down to the floor, igniting carpet and papers.

"It burned vertically up the wall," Altenthal said.

The tenant was alerted by a smoke detector, went upstairs to investigate and closed the door to the burning room.

"The fire was confined to bathroom," he said. "There was moderate smoke in first level and heavy smoke in second level. There was some minor water damage, too, as a water line had broke in bathroom due to the heat of the fire."