A fire likely ignited by an unattended candle that burned into combustible material significantly damaged a Riverside home, officials said Thursday.
The non-injury blaze was reported at about 10:55 p.m. Wednesday in the 4000 block of Elmwood Court, near Bandini Avenue, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
Battalion Chief Mike Allen said five engine crews and a truck company, numbering two dozen personnel, were sent to the location and encountered flames raging in a detached garage immediately adjacent to the main single-story house.
Allen said the garage had been converted into a “secondary residence.”
The occupant escaped the fire, which spread to the back of the main residence before crews got it under control 30 minutes later, according to Allen.
He said a candle left burning inside the garage evidently caused the blaze, which caused an estimated $200,000 damage.
American Red Cross personnel were requested to assist the occupant of the secondary residence with finding alternate temporary lodgings, according to the battalion chief.