10:43am Wednesday 3rd September 2008
A candle left alight sparked a blaze which gutted the loft extension and part of the first floor of a house in Hounslow.
Twenty firefighters tackled the blaze at the house in Brabazon Road after a neighbour raised the alarm.
The owners of the house were out at the time.
The loft extension and part of the first floor of the house were destroyed by the intensity of the flames.
Watch manager Phil Watson said: “The occupants were out at the time and the fire had been going for quite a while before a neighbour noticed the smoke and called the brigade.
"The fire had spread down to the first floor and there was heavy smoke throughout the property."
Firefighters spent an hour bringing the fire under control and salvaged some items from a first floor bedroom.
The fire is believed to have been caused by a candle left unattended.
The fire was under control by 8.07pm.
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