Candle Blamed for Lafayette Apartment Blaze Displacing 9 People

(Lafayette, LA) - Lafayette firefighters were called out to respond to a fire in an apartment on Rue Royal on Tuesday afternoon. Officials say a candle on a windowsill led to the blaze.

Multiple calls were received by 911 alerting them that a building was on fire. Initially, emergency officials were alerted that there might be a disabled person inside one of the apartments.

Get our free mobile app

As firefighters arrived on scene, they began fighting the blaze as other firefighters went into one of the apartments where it was thought a disabled person might be inside.

The woman who was immobilized was helped to safety by a neighbor, according to Lafayette Fire Department Spokesman Alton Trahan, before firefighters arrived on scene. Thankfully, no one was injured in the fire.

In fact, it was on April 8 that a fire in an apartment in Lafayette, believed to have started by a candle, led to five people being displaced from their homes.

READ MORE: LAFAYETTE FIRE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATES APARTMENT BUILDING FIVE LIKELY CAUSED BY A CANDLE

While no injuries were reported, the 9 people living in the four-unit apartment building have not been displaced from their homes due to the fire.

Trahan says it was determined that a candle was left on the windowsill in an upstairs bedroom. The candle ignited something nearby, and the fire spread to the attic. Once the fire had spread to the attic, it quickly tore through the roof. All of the units in the apartment building were damaged.

Reminders from the Lafayette Fire Department about Candles

• Lafayette Fire Department officials ask anyone using a candle to remember to never leave it unattended.
• Make sure that if you are using a candle, it is not near anything that can catch fire.
• If you are going to light a candle, make sure whatever the candle is placed upon is made of noncombustible material.

The fire happened at around 2:30 this afternoon.