Port Charlotte home burns down from accidental fire started by daughter

A Port Charlotte family has no home after a fire engulfed the entire residence Wednesday night.

James Cote, the owner of the house said the fire was started by his young daughter, when she was attempting to light a candle.

“My daughter felt that her room was kind of stinky, so she thought she could light a candle herself, she went and used a match, it burnt her finger so dropped it, it landed in a plastic bag, caught fire in the closet,” said Cote.

After a failed attempt to put out the fire with a towel and a fire extinguisher, the smoke became too much and he had no choice but to escape the house with his family.

Besides losing their home, the family also lost two pets.

“We had five cats, we lost two of them,” said Cote.

Charlotte County Fire and EMS reiterates how quickly a fire can get out of control, “Any kind of heat source like a candle you don’t want to leave unattended because accidents happen.”