Unattended candle caused fire in Chilliwack townhouse, chief says

An unattended candle led to a townhouse fire that sent one woman to hospital in Chilliwack Friday, firefighters say.

The call came in shortly before 11:20 a.m., and two dozen firefighters responded to the blaze in the 45000 block of South Sumas Road, according to a news release from Chilliwack Fire Department Chief Ian Josephson.

The fire was burning in one unit of the single-storey townhouse complex, with crews arriving to find it venting from the unit's ground floor rear windows, Josephson said.

"Firefighters managed to quickly knock the fire down and enter the building to extinguish the fire and confirm the fire had not extended past the one unit," he said in the release, adding that adjacent units suffered "minor smoke damage."

Paramedics were called to assess the townhouse's lone occupant for possible smoke inhalation, Josephson said, adding that the woman was taken to Chilliwack General Hospital for treatment.

"Chilliwack Fire Department reminds residents to never leave burning candles unattended," the fire chief said.

He added that candles should be kept in "sturdy, noncombustible holders" at least 30 centimetres away from other combustible objects. 

Josephson also reminded residents to ensure they have working smoke alarms, but he didn't specify in his news release whether the smoke alarms at the townhouse were functional.

Asked for clarification, he told CTV News in an email that the resident "did not hear her smoke alarm when she entered the unit, so it must not have been operational."

The fire caused significant damage to the affected unit, but neighbouring units suffered only minor smoke damage. (Chilliwack Fire Department)