COLUMBIA – A fire occurred in a two-story house at 809 Maryland Ave. on Monday afternoon, causing a minor explosion that broke a bathroom window, according Capt. Eric Hartman of the Columbia Fire Department. No one was injured.
The heat of the fire caused an aerosol can to explode, breaking the window, Hartman said.
Eric Smith and Herbert Hary IV were asleep in the home when they were awakened by a fire alarm, the release said. The other two residents were not home.
Hartman said the first firetruck arrived around 12:46 p.m. Monday after receiving a call from the house about five minutes earlier.
Firefighters found light smoke inside the first floor upon entry, but the fire was extinguished by the time personnel arrived at the house.
Hartman said investigators determined the fire was caused by an unattended candle left burning on a wire shelf above the toilet in the bathroom.
The damage is estimated at $2,500 including the bathroom window, minor fire damage in the bathroom and minor smoke damage throughout the first floor.
Only one of the five smoke alarms operated during the fire, Hartman said.