December 25, 2008 - Southeast Shreveport Home Sustains Minor Fire Damage

Fire caused by decorative candle arrangement

A decorative candle arrangement is the cause of an early morning fire in a Southeast Shreveport home. This morning at 8:13 a.m., the Shreveport Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire at 124 Deville Place in the South Broadmoor area. Firefighters arrived on scene within five minutes to find smoke coming from the front door and the family evacuating from the home. It took fire crews 12 minutes to extinguish the fire that was contained to the fireplace and mantel.

The home owner told Investigator Chris Robinson that she was burning candles inside the fireplace which contained plastic flowers. She left the candles unattended to go into the kitchen and heard the smoke alarm sounding. She saw flames coming out of the fireplace and called 911. Robinson stated, “The flame from the candle ignited the plastic flowers. The damper of the fireplace was closed which caused flames to spread from the fireplace to the mantel.” The home sustained minor fire and smoke damage.