A Clinton home was saved Monday from destruction after a resident arrived to find his house in smoke, according to South Whidbey Fire/EMS Deputy Chief Mike Cotton.

At around 3 p.m., a man arrived to his manufactured home on Cultus Bay Road to see smoke rising around the gutters. A candle that hadn’t been completely extinguished had been knocked over in the bedroom, Cotton said. The closed door isolated the fire and heat damage. Vents allowed smoke to spread throughout the house, causing minor smoke damage.

The man put out the fire using a garden hose through the bedroom window, Cotton said. Firefighters helped ensure it was completely extinguished, but the fire was out upon their arrival.

The residence sits back from the road, Cotton said, meaning it would have been difficult to see the smoke before the fire got larger had the resident not come home in time.

“It’s pretty lucky, timing-wise,” Cotton said. “… It could have easily gotten bigger without anybody noticing if it hadn’t happened that way.”

Cotton urged the public to be safe when using candles.