Investigators believe a burning candle caused a fire that heavily damaged a house in north central Iowa last nightIt happened at the Dale Dorseth home in Clear Lake in a basement bedroom where Dorseth’s teenage daughter left a candle burning on a shelf. The two girls left the room, with the candle burning, but one of ’em went back downstairs and discovered the room on fire. Mr. Dorseth called 9-1-1, then tried to fight the fire himself with a portable fire extinguisher but the heat and smoke forced him outside. The Clear Lake Fire Department knocked the flames down, then used special thermal imaging equipment to check for hot spots in walls and floors. The fire damage was contained to the basement, but there was smoke damage on the main floor. Total damage is estimated at 40-thousand dollars.
Iowa's Radio News Network
