A house in Candijay was almost entirely gutted by a fire believed to have been sparked by an unattended lighted candle on Wednesday morning, authorities in the town said.

No one was injured due to the fire which lasted for about an hour but the blaze left more than P100,000 worth of property damage at the residence of a couple identified as Christopher and Leonita Malune, said FO1 Jason Magtabog of the Candijay Fire Station.

According to Magtabog, they were alerted at past 8:35 a.m. and reached the scene of the fire in Barangay Tubod, located some five kilometers away from the town’s central district, at 8:42 a.m.

The fire which reached the first alarm was declared under control at 9:30 a.m.

Initial investigation indicated that a candle lighted and left unattended by Leonita, 51, may have started the blaze.

“Ang asawa nangadyi, nagdagkot para sa minatay sa kalaglag unya nalimtan niya,” said Magtabog.

“Nanimaho kuno’g sunog unya niadto sila sa kusina nitan-aw sa mga gipangsaksak didto, wala man daw. Pagsud nila balik sa kwarto, wa na, kusog na ang kaayo,” he added.

Magtabog said that the fire had already engulfed most of the concrete house when they arrived but they were still able to keep the flames from spreading to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, almost all of the Malunes appliances and furniture were burned.

The Malunes told authorities that they were not able to put out the fire themselves as they had no water supply at their home.

Bohol fire marshal Raul Bustaliño earlier called on the public to be vigilant during the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day break as homes are often left unattended with families going to cemeteries to visit their loved ones.

He said that residents should always unplug appliances before going out of the house and should never leave candles unattended. (A. Doydora)