Safety warning after fire
10/04/2026
A house fire which destroyed a bedroom and caused serious damage to the upstairs of a home is believed to have been caused by a candle.
Firefighters arrived at the scene of a house fire in March to find a bedroom fully engulfed in fire. Crews from March, Wisbech and Chatteris worked hard to contain the fire and stop the fire from spreading further, before extinguishing it.
There were four people in the home at the time of the fire all of whom were outside the property on the crews’ arrival.
Station Commander Clive Allen said: “The fire is believed to have been caused by a curtain blowing onto a lit candle. We would like to remind people to always remain vigilant when lighting candles. Our advice for the safe use of candles is to never leave them unattended and keep them in a draught-free area away from curtains, furniture and other flammable surfaces. Alternatively, you could use LED candles as a safer option.”
Clive added: “Thankfully the occupants had working smoke alarms on each floor of the house which is exactly what we would advise people to warn you of a fire in your home. We also recommend you test all smoke alarms in your home once a month to ensure they are working properly. If you need a reminder to test your alarm, you can sign up to get an email from us every month to give you that nudge.”
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service - Testing your smoke alarms!
Most of the firefighters that attended this incident were on-call firefighters, who respond when they are needed to emergencies around their other commitments. When needed they will drop everything to get on a fire engine to help people in their local community.
To be an on-call firefighter you need to be within five minutes of your local fire station, either while at work or at home, and have a good general level of fitness. We are actively recruiting more on-call firefighters at stations around the county, so if you can respond to emergencies and help your local community, visit our Careers section.