NEWTOWN — A fire apparently sparked by a candle sent two people to the hospital and heavily damaged a home on The Boulevard early Sunday morning, Fire Marshal Bill Halstead said.
Newtown police were the first one on the scene and rescued the two occupants, who suffered smoke inhalation as a result of the 1;08 a.m. blaze.
“If they weren’t overcome by smoke, they were pretty close. They made to a porch off the kitchen, which is where the cops got them,” Halstead said.
Names of the two people, both women, were not immediately available, but town records indicate the cape-style residence at 31 The Boulevard is owned by Nancy Rahikka.
All five Newtown companies responded to the blaze, while firefighters from Southbury and Brookfield stood by at local firehouses.
“When we got there, there was heavy smoke outside and flames shooting out of a bedroom window in the rear,” he said. The blaze apparently started in one of the bedrooms, when some tissues came into contact with a burning candle.
The bedroom and an adjoining bathroom and storage area were gutted , and the rest of the interior suffered heavy heat and smoke damage. Firefighters had too cut a hole in the roof to ventilate the home, Halstead said.