Candle 'most likely' ignited deadly house fire - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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Candle 'most likely' ignited deadly house fire Wednesday Apr 5, 2017 at 3:56 PM Apr 5, 2017 at 3:56 PM An unattended living-room candle "most likely" ignited a Jan. 14 house fire while family members slept, killing former competitive powerlifter James "Jimmy" Nickerson III after he rescued two family members and a dog from the burning house, firefighters said. Investigators from Jackson County Fire District No. 3 concluded that the fire in the residence in the 3200 block of Dodge Road was unintentional and that sleeping residents did not discover the fire until it was burning enough to seriously hamper their escape. Nickerson died while trying to rescue the family dogs from the blaze after first rescuing his wife, Paula Nickerson, and visiting niece Savannah Nickerson, firefighters said. Savannah Nickerson suffered burns on 45 percent of her body, according to reports. Fire district spokeswoman Ashley Lara announced the investigation's conclusions Wednesday. No other details were immediately available.