Firefighters rescued a man from an East Huntingdon townhome Tuesday morning after smoke filled the upstairs.

A small fire that started in a bedroom appeared to be accidental, said Christopher Brinker, East Huntingdon’s second assistant fire chief. It may have been sparked by a candle, he said, but state police fire marshals were investigating.

The smoky conditions at 8:30 a.m. in the Edgewood Manor Townhomes complex trapped the man in a rear bedroom on Brittany Court, not far from New Stanton. He was not hurt.

“The smoke was to the floor in the upstairs, so by keeping his door closed he was able to keep a safe space in his bedroom and then we were able to perform the rescue off the ladder in the back,” Brinker said.

Three pets in the town home were not hurt. There was no damage to either adjoining unit, he said.

Underwriters Laboratories’ Fire Safety Research Institute’s Close Before You Doze campaign states that a closed interior door can help slow the spread of a fire, lower carbon monoxide levels and keep smoke out.

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