Bloxwich house hit by blaze as curtain is blown on to candle
A family escaped a blaze in their Bloxwich home after a candle set fire to curtains in their dining room.
Curtain drapes around the window caught fire at the detached house, in Sunningdale Way, last night.
A candle had been left on a windowsill and wind had blown the curtains into the flame in the rear ground-floor room.
Fire crews arrived shortly after 7.30pm to find a woman, her two children and four nieces and nephews had already escaped the fire.
The blaze was restricted to the dining room but the window was destroyed and flames caused damaged to surrounding walls and the ceiling.
Firefighters from Walsall and Bloxwich put out the flames and used ventilation fans to rid the room of smoke.
Watch commander Tim Middleton, of Bloxwich fire station, said: "There was quite a lot of thick, acrid smoke in the room so we used a large fan we carry to clear it.
"The tealight candle was in a holder but we would warn people not to have candles near anything like curtains that could catch fire."
Crews left at around 9pm saying the house was habitable after a clean-up and planned to return to speak to neighbours in the coming days about fire safety.
