GATESVILLE (February 14, 2013)--An unattended candle was the likely cause of a house fire early Tuesday morning that left a Gatesville woman homeless.
Gatesville fire Chief Billy Vaden said investigators determined a candle was left burning and was the likely cause of the blaze.
Fire units were sent just after midnight Tuesday morning to the house at 102 East Main Street.
The first firefighters at the scene found the woman outside and the house engulfed in flames, Vaden said.
Vaden said the woman, who was asleep inside the home when the fire started, was able to jump through a window to escape from the burning house, but the single-story frame structure, owned by Ed Sayetta, was destroyed.
Vaden said the American Red Cross was assisting the woman, whom he identified as Deborah Shelton.
