A candle left unattended is thought to have caused a house fire in Joshua Tree last night. According to County Fire Captain Steve Lasiter, neighbors saw smoke and flames coming from a home in the 60900 block of Prescott Trail shortly before 5:30 p.m. Joshua Tree firefighters were on a medical aid call, so firefighters from Yucca Valley were the first to arrive at 5:34, with Joshua Tree soon after. Captain Lasiter said bedroom curtains caught on fire from either a candle or an incense stick that were left unattended on a bookshelf near an open window. Strong winds blowing last night fanned the flames. Firefighters knocked down the fire in about half an hour. One bedroom had fire damage and two bedrooms suffered smoke damage. In addition, there was a lot of fire in the attic; 25 to 30 percent of the attic was charred from the blaze. Captain Lasiter said that a Chihuahua was saved, but a cat and her kittens died in the fire.
