AUGUSTA — Firefighters are warning people against leaving candles unattended after a fire damaged a home on Friday night.

That fire was reported at 8:43 p.m. in a two-story home on Rolands Way, a short camp road that is near Oak Hill Road in the northeast corner of the city. It’s just off Dam Pond Road.

The fire started when a candle that was burning in an upstairs bedroom set flame to a window curtain, said Battalion Chief Steve Leach of the Augusta Fire Department.

The residents of the home learned of the fire when a smoke detector starting going off, Leach said. They were able to diminish the burn with a fire extinguisher. When firefighters arrived, they were able to knock it down in five minutes.

The smoke, fire and water left a small amount of damage to the bedroom and its contents.

The two residents of the home, a 70-year-old woman and her 36-year-old daughter, were not able to stay there on Friday night because firefighters needed to shut down the electricity during their response, Leach said.

The American Red Cross of Maine was assisting the two people to find accommodations and other resources, the organization announced on Saturday.

Leach, who was on the call Friday night, encouraged people to avoid open flame candles entirely. Instead, he recommended so-called “flameless candles,” which use batteries, light bulbs and wax coatings to approximate the effects of a flickering candle.

Charles Eichacker — 621-5642

ceichacker@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @ceichacker

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