Candle blamed for large Seffner house fire

SEFFNER (FOX 13) - Firefighters say a bedroom candle is to blame for the overnight fire that destroyed a 6,000-square-foot Seffner home overnight.

Hillsborough County firefighters responded to the home just before 11 and worked through the night.  According to firefighters, the home had gone under several renovations and additions, which made it difficult to get control of the fire.  Crews even had to bring in a tractor-truck to help.

Four adults and four dogs were inside when the blaze broke out.  Officials say one of the homeowners had minor burn injuries, but refused declined to be taken to the hospital.  One firefighter was hospitalized with minor injuries but has since been released.

The family is now looking for a place to stay while they cope with the devastating loss.

“I don’t know what to do.  We’ve lived here for 40-something years.  This really hurts,” one of the displaced residents told FOX 13’s Alcides Segui.  “This really hurts.”

The fire was caused by a candle accidentally knocked over in a bedroom, investigators say.