(Gaithersburg) -- An unattended candle is suspected of causing a 2-alarm fire at a Gaithersburg garden apartment building Saturday, which displaced more than a dozen families and caused damage estimated at about $1,000,000.

Heavy fire could be seen from the third floor of the building, in the 16,700 block of Amity Drive, when the first units arrived from the Gaithersburg - Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department. Though firefighters were able to confine the blaze to two apartments, flames burned through the roof of the building. Smoke and/or water damage made another ten apartment uninhabitable. It took about thirty minutes to extinguish the bulk of the fire.

No one was reported hurt in the blaze. Fire investigators believe a candle, left unattended while the occupant of the apartment spoke on the telephone, ignited some articles in the apartment. The occupant then may have tried to fight the blaze, before calling the fire department, allowing the fire to grow.

If you must use candles, the Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service and the Gaithersburg - Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department ask that you follow these safety tips:

• Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or going to sleep.
• Keep candles well away from items that can catch fire, such as flammable decorations, clothing, books, paper, curtains, etc.
• Make sure candles are placed on a secure piece of furniture, in sturdy holders that will not tip over.
• Make sure candleholders are non-combustible and big enough to collect dripping wax.
• Do not place lit candles in windows, where blinds or curtains can close over them.
• Keep wicks trimmed to ¼ inch, and extinguish candles when they burn down to within two inches of the holder.
• Keep candles and all open flames away from flammable liquids.
• Keep candles up high, out of reach, and where they can not be knocked over by children or pets.
• Never leave a child unattended in a room with a candle. A child should not sleep in a room with a lit candle. Keep all matches and lighters up high and out of the sight and reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet.

• Flashlights and other lights generated by batteries are much safer light sources than candles.
• Try to avoid carrying a lit candle and never use it to look for things.
• Never use a candle for light when fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern. The flame may ignite the fumes.