Bedroom completely destroyed after fire caused by candle

The blaze came just day after the fire alarms were tested

A devastating fire which burned through a rental property in Plymouth was caused by a candle. The blaze ignited in the early hours of Friday morning (October 11) and severely damaged one bedroom and second floor landing of a building in the Greenbank area.

A spokesperson for Plymouth Fire Protection (PFP) - a local fire alarm company - confirmed that no one was injured and everyone was evacuated safely. The blaze was caused by a candle and came just one day after PFP had inspected, tested and serviced the fire alarm system inside the property.

Photos taken in the wake of the fire show extensive damage to the bedroom and landing, but fire safety procedures meant it was well contained and did not spread to the rest of the building. Another photo depicts a blackened and scorched hallway, with a near-untouched bedroom, which was behind a fire safety door.

PFP said on Facebook: "During the early hours of Friday, October 11 2024, a fire occurred within a rented accommodation property that we (PFP Fire Safety Group) fully fire safety manage on behalf of a local client and letting agency.

"The extent of the damage was contained only to the second floor (seat of the fire) due to correctly fitting fire doors, correct levels of compartmentation and a fully functioning, correctly designed, fire alarm system. The fire alarm system activated within its operational limits of capability and provided audible warning throughout the property alerting the occupants of the fire incident at an early stage on detection of smoke in one of the upper bedrooms.

"All occupants evacuated safely and there were no injuries or fatalities. This fire was caused by a candle.

"In one of the photos you will note the severe damage due to the aggressive fire scenario that took hold of the upper floor bedroom and second floor landing, however, it further shows the excellent job the correctly fitted fire door did to contain the fire to those areas only. The bedroom behind that particular fire door was untouched and only now has smoke damage due to fire service smoke ventilation procedures.

"This particular fire alarm system was inspected, tested, serviced and certified on Thursday 10th October 2024 by our Engineers."