Wellsville: Smoke forces evacuation at Allegany Arc home

4219 Niles Hill Road

There was plenty of smoke, but no fire at an Allegany Arc home located at 4219 Niles Hills Road in Wellsville. Wellsville fire and EMS were dispatched at 5:55 a.m. for an automatic alarm with confirmed smoke in the residence.

Photo by Jason Osgood

The amount of smoke elevated the alarm and brought in units from Scio stations 1 & 2, Andover and a FAST Team. Wellsville Fire Chief Bill Cavanaugh said after an extensive search, the source was located. Cavanaugh said a battery operated artificial candle was the culprit. He said the unit was encased in actual candle wax to maximize the effect. In this case, he said, the candle wax dripped down on to a heating register and the byproduct was "a lot of smoke."
The fire chief said all the residents were safely evacuated. There were no injuries. Cavanaugh said once the cause was determined, smoke ejectors were used to clear the building. By 7 a.m., fire officials gave the 'all clear' signal and the residents were allowed to return home.