Two businesses damaged by smoke

MOSES LAKE - A candle on top of a file cabinet started a small fire inside the Farmer Insurance office at 1180 N. Stratford Thursday morning.

The fire damaged the cabinet and started to burn a portion of the wall, according to Moses Lake Fire Department Chief Tom Taylor. But the fire nearly extinguished itself.

"It ran out of combustible material," he said.

Smoke from the fire moved through the insurance office and into the exercise business Curves, which is housed in the same building.

"We thought we smelled a candle … then we saw the smoke and thought we ought to get out of the building," Curves employee Janet Kemmer said.

The employees of Curves called 9-1-1 at roughly 5:30 a.m. They left the business and gathered across the street until firefighters informed them it was safe to enter the building.

Three engines responded to the fire call, said Deputy Chief Corbin Moberg. Upon initial arrival, a ladder truck was used to monitor the roof.

Firefighters used large fans to vent the building of smoke.

"There's a lot of smoke damage to most of the building," Moberg estimated.

Taylor said candles are dangerous, especially ones left unattended.

"Fire departments really discourage the use of candles in your home or business," said Taylor. "It is not the leading cause of residential structure fires, but it is a leading cause of structure fires in the United States."

For fire prevention information, contact the Moses Lake Fire Department at 509-765-2204, Grant County Fire District No. 5 at 509-765-3175 or your local fire department.