Candle Causes Structure Fire on North Oakes Street

Just before 7 a.m. this morning, San Angelo firefighters responded to a small structure fire behind a residence in the 700 block of North Oakes St. A small candle helped spark the flames, said Fire Marshal Ross Coleman.

Coleman said a man standing in the building had a small candle going when cedar got knocked over, or some combustibles got too close to the candle.

“It started the mattress on fire,” Coleman said.

Coleman added that the man attempted to pull the mattress out of the building, but the fire overtook it quickly.

The man did escape, however.

“He got out, and he suffered a minor burn injury—nothing sustainable,” Coleman added.

Coleman said the structure, which is some sort of outbuilding or storage unit, is a total loss. He noted that there were no utilities or running water in the building.