Austin firefighters responded to a blaze in northeast Austin Sunday morning that began when a candle ignited a blanket.

According to Fire Chief Mickey Healey, the two occupants, one adult and one child, were awoken by the fire around 4 a.m. The residents were out of the house by the time the fire department arrived, Healey said.

The house, located in the 2100 block of Fifth Avenue NE, has been declared uninhabitable. The heat from the flames broke two front windows, and, according to Healey, the back windows and entrance had previously been boarded up, making the front door the only exit. However, owner and landlord Jim Baldus said nothing was boarded shut until after the fire so nobody could break in.

“(The tenants) did it so nobody would get in there,” Baldus said. “I’m just glad they got outside.”

The fire was contained to the living room area, Healey said, but the rest of the house suffered smoke damage. Most of the living room’s contents were charred or melted by the fire.

Healey said the house did not have any working smoke detectors.

According to Austin Fire Commander Terry Peterson, it’s a violation of national fire code for a landlord not to install working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in a rental unit, although Austin firefighters do not inspect single family dwellings.

“We don’t inspect residential apartments unless they’re three units or more,” said Peterson. “The landlord is responsible for a working smoke detector.”

Minnesota statute states the owner of the rental unit, not the occupant, is responsible for smoke detector maintenance; however, the occupant of the unit must inform the owner within 24 hours if their smoke detector stops working, the statute states.