Investigator: Candle sparks fire at Modesto motel | News

MODESTO, Calif. - A Modesto motel caught fire Thursday morning, damaging four units and displacing eight lodgers.

More than 27 firefighters were dispatched to the Shivas Motel on the 700 block of South 9th St. around 3:06 a.m. after fire investigators say a candle sparked the fire.

Crews arrived and had the fire contained before 6:30 a.m.

At a post-fire briefing, the fire investigator on scene said the preliminary investigation indicated a woman was using a candle to keep herself warm. While sleeping, the woman knocked over the candle which ignited some blankets and clothing. When the woman awoke to the fire, she tried to smother the flames with more blankets which also caught alight and caused the fire to spread.

Nobody was injured in the fire.

The Red Cross sent volunteers to the scene to help relocate those displaced.