A blaze broke out in a Hemel Hempstead flat after a tea light candle set fire to a fridge top.
The fire started at a ground-floor home at about 11.15pm on Tuesday (December 2).
Neighbours living in the same block in Deimos Drive sounded the alarm after hearing a smoke detector bleeping.
Firefighters called to the flat were forced to br
eak in after finding no one was home.
Inside the crews used a hose jet to tackle a fire in a lounge before using fans to clear smoke from the property.
Watch Commander Jon Batchelor said the fire was started by a tealight candle left burning on a plastic fridge top.
The fireman from Hemel Hempstead Fire Station said: "If you're going to use tealights, make sure they're in proper ceramic or glass holders.
"Never place them directly onto surfaces - especially plastics - as they can get so hot they burn straight through."
He added: "Always ensure candles are put out before you leave your home or go to bed."
Watch Commander Batchelor said no one was hurt in the fire but the flat was 'seriously damaged'.
He also said tealights left on top of a television were the cause of a flat fire in Stevenage in 2005 which killed a memeber of the public and two firefighters.
For free fire safety advice, home checks and smoke alarms call 01923 471399 or see www.hertsdirect.org
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