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Candle blamed for fire Officials repeat safety advice By Mark Freeman A scented candle left unattended in a dining room likely ignited a Saturday afternoon blaze that caused more than $200,000 in damage while destroying an East Medford home, authorities said. Fire Inspector Debi Bisbee said the blaze that consumed Dale and Leanne Bush�s house at 178 Purdue Lane is a grim reminder that scented candles are a greater fire danger than regular candles because they tend to burn unevenly and are prone to spilling hot wax. �"Scented candles," Bisbee said, "are becoming extremely dangerous." The Bush�s split-level house was gutted by the 2 p.m. fire, with all but a corner of the garage destroyed, firefighters said. The hot and fast-moving fire caused an explosion before firefighters arrived at the scene, and flames were shooting thorough windows when fire crews arrived. Firefighters estimated that $147,000 in damage was done to the house, and $75,000 to its contents, Bisbee said. No one was home when the fire ignited, and neighbors reported the blaze to firefighters shortly after 2 p.m. The Bushes could not be reached for comment Monday. Bisbee said Leanne Bush remembered lighting a scented candle on the dining room table to add a fragrant ambiance to the room before a planned dinner party Saturday, Bisbee said. But she did not recall extinguishing the candle before the Bushes left the house in the early afternoon, Bisbee said. Scented candles have wicks that do not burn down regularly, causing unusually high flames and an uneven burn to the candle, Bisbee said. The uneven burning and spilling wax can cause a fire, Bisbee said. Bisbee said the Bushes� candle likely burned this way and spilled wax on the dining room table cloth, which likely burned and ignited silk flowers before spreading to furniture and then the entire structure. A similar fire involving a scented candle damaged a Jackson Street home in February, Bisbee said. People need to be careful when burning scented candles, Bisbee said. The safest way to burn these candles is to trim their wicks before every use so the wax melts more evenly without spilling, she said. Leanne Bush "probably didn�t trim her wick," Bisbee said. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA