Candle in Freezer Blamed for New Hampshire Fire

Hampton, N.H., fire officials say a candle being used to defrost a freezer started a fire that damaged a beachside hotel and apartment complex.

The Portsmouth Herald reports that an occupant of the apartment left the candle burning unattended when he left his apartment at Jonathan’s on the Oceanfront hotel and apartments on Ocean Boulevard. The building’s fire alarm was activated just after 9 a.m. Tuesday and its sprinkler system extinguished most of the blaze within minutes.

Fire officials say the building will be uninhabitable for some time due to smoke and water damage.

Fire departments from Hampton, Seabrook and Exeter responded to the fire. No injuries were reported.