Candle sparks condo blaze

A stuborn condominium fire sparked by a candle that ignited a decorated Christmas tree ravaged part of a housing complex on River Road yesterday, fire officials said.

There were no injuries, but five families were forced out of their homes and all six units in this section of the River Landing condo complex were damaged.

The fire, which roared out of the building's windows around 4:20 p.m. yesterday, gutted an entire unit where a mother and teenage daughter lived and also ruined the adjacent apartment of another family, officials said.

Bob DeLaney, 66, who owns a condominium in another building in the complex, arrived to see the flames pouring out of the windows.

"There was a wall of flames," DeLaney said. "It was the most intense fire I've seen."

Dozens of firefighters positioned ladders against a building at 115 River Road to reach the top floor of the unit where the fire began. Residents of the complex stood in the freezing cold and watched the flames fight back.

Police closed off River Road at the Post Road and Robertson Lane, but traffic still slowed on the Post Road as drivers strained to get a look at the source of the sirens and flashing lights bouncing off the Mianus River.

The fire was under control by 5:10 p.m., a dispatcher said. But Fire Chief Dan Warzoha said it was a tough fight.

"Man, that was a big one," Warzoha said . "We're not in a good place with these candles. People really need to be aware of what they're lighting in their homes."

All of the six units sustained fire, smoke, water or electrical damage, officials said. One of the units had been vacant for some time.

"This was really terrifying," said Chris Litchfield, 53, a resident of a different building at the complex. "We all live so close to one another and there is so much potential for damage if one of us has a fire."

Officials from the Red Cross said none of the families requested a hotel stay from the agency and instead opted to stay with nearby family and friends.

"The immediate need is to provide clothing, especially for the two families that completely lost every single belonging," said Rochelle Rosen, a spokeswoman for the local Red Cross chapter.

Yesterday's fire was the second major blaze in 10 days. On Dec. 5, a fire at 312 Davis Ave. flared out of control, forcing three firefighters to jump from a third-floor window 30 feet above ground and causing 10 people to be left homeless.