Candle blamed for house fires
Investigators have determined an overturned candle caused the fire that destroyed two homes and left a third uninhabitable, Fire Chief Kevin Peters said Tuesday.
The blaze began in the living room/dining room area of a downstairs apartment in the building at 3 Calamar Lane owned by Peter Walker, the fire chief said. Walker, who lived above the apartment where the fire started, said Monday that he had purchased the property in 1988 and has since rented out the adjacent buildings.
The fire that began about 3:30 a.m. Monday. By about 11 a.m., one of the three structures already had been torn down.
Five apartments were left uninhabitable, and eight people lost their homes.
Peters said the fire is considered accidental. “He didn’t do it on purpose, that’s for sure,” Peters said, referring to the tenant, whose name he did not provide.
A fourth structure on the property, which Walker has rented out as an Airbnb, sustained no fire damage, but it had no electricity or water on Monday as a result of the blaze.
Peters said the “radiant heat” from the main fire caused the neighboring houses to catch fire. He estimated homes probably were less than 20 feet apart.
Peters said the Red Cross was on the scene Monday morning providing relief to people who lost their homes.
A fundraising effort for some victims of the fire can be found online at bit. ly/2S81msK.
Family of Woodstock, at 16 Rock City Road, Woodstock, also is accepting donations for fire victims and is keeping a list of callers offering to donate larger items, according to volunteer Hess Tehrani. To donate through Family, call (845) 679-2485.