The fire at 7 Glidden Ave., off Middlesex Street, broke out about 3:30 p.m., on the second floor and went to two alarms.

Deputy Fire Chief John Dowling said that when crews arrived, a woman standing in front of the house told him that she had lit a candle to eliminate odors inside the house.

"At some point, there was a 3-year-old in the house who put some clothes on top of the candle," Dowling said, adding that several adults tried to extinguish the fire, which quickly climbed up to the attic.

Two people were taken by ambulance to Saints Medical Center for smoke inhalation, and a third person, an elderly man, was taken for observation. The child was not hurt.

Heavy smoke billowed from the multifamily dwelling as neighbors lined the narrow street. The fire was contained to the second floor and attic on one side of the house, but utilities were cut off to the entire building, leaving as many as 15 people homeless. Red Cross trucks were on the scene in an effort to accommodate those residents.

Extensive damage was done to the second-floor apartment, Dowling said.

The victims were initially brought to a house across the street and taken out on stretchers. They were conscious when they were transported.