Unattended Candle Suspected in Devastating House Fire, Elderly Man Left Homeless

An unattended candle may have been the cause of a house fire in the early hours of Saturday morning. Officials were called out to an area on Cemetery Road where the home of an elderly man was destroyed by fire.  Just after midnight on Saturday morning Police and Fire officials found a small wooden structure on fire.  The homeowner, 64-year-old Anthony Mortis, told police that around 9:00 o’clock he lit a candle inside the home and fell asleep. He says it wasn’t until around midnight that he was alerted by neighbors that his house was on fire. The senior citizen lost his home and all its contents that were uninsured.