Candle lit for Whitney Houston starts fire

OLDHAM, England, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- A woman in England inadvertently set her house on fire with a candle that had been lit to honor the memory of singing diva Whitney Houston, fire officials said.

The blaze gutted the living room of the woman's home in Oldham, outside Manchester, the Manchester Evening News reported.

Rick Taylor, a fire brigade watch commander, said the woman apparently failed to put the candle out completely when she and her son went to bed. They were awakened by a smoke alarm early Tuesday morning and were able to get out of the house without injury.

Firefighters rescued the family's three dogs.

"The blaze quickly spread from the curtains to the TV and electrics," Taylor said.

Houston died Saturday at age 48 in Beverly Hills, Calif. An autopsy has been performed but no cause of death has been announced.