CAPTION ONLY: CHRISTMAS EVE FIRE DOES $200,000 IN DAMAGE

Firefighters respond to a blaze that caused more than $200,000 damage to a Cottonwood Heights house Friday night. Fire officials believe a candle that was left burning started the fire. At 6:45 p.m., Salt Lake County firefighters arrived at 6769 S. Walker Mill Drive (3405 East) and found the house engulfed in heavy smoke and flames, said Larry Olsen, Salt Lake County battalion chief. "The fire started with a candle in a back room that had burned down to a decorative wreath," Olsen said. "Once it got started, the fire quickly spread out the room and up a 20-foot stairway and into the bedrooms." Firefighters used ladders and tried to attack the fire from the roof. When the flames died down, a crew of seven was sent inside to investigate and douse hot spots. But heavy smoke hindered their work - as soon as one fire patch was doused, another flared up nearby. The fire was brought under control at 8:15 p.m., Olsen said. One firefighter suffered minor injuries when he fell through a window. He was treated at an area hospital and released. The home's owner, Alan Rudd, and eight family members were having a Christmas get-together in the home when the fire broke out, Olsen said. They all escaped without injury.