Although he lost most of his belongings in a trailer fire Thursday, Larose resident Ricky Bruce is lucky to be alive.
He said he has second-degree burns on his leg as well as burns on his ears and a cut on his foot.
"I'm glad I can talk about it," he said. "It could be worse. I've just got to keep my head up."
Training Officer Jordan Collins said the Galliano-based Lafourche Parish Fire District 3 was called out at 2:48 a.m. to the home on East 22nd Street, and the first unit arrived at 2:57 a.m.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze within about 20 minutes but remained on the scene until 5:18 a.m. investigating, Collins said. Lafourche Ambulance also responded.
The fire started in the bathroom, where Bruce had left a candle burning in a rack over the toilet before he went to sleep. He said he thinks the glass container the candle was in overheated and burst.
Though the home had smoke detectors, they were not working.
"I heard something popping," Bruce said. "I saw flames, and I went in the bathroom and it was burning. I tried to smother it with a blanket, but it didn't work. I went outside and grabbed the hosepipe, but it burned like paper. It just took off."
Bruce said he lost everything, including jewelry and money from a check he had just cashed. He doesn't have insurance.
He said he bought the trailer for his mother, who lives there with him, and that he had been there at least 20 years. His mother was not home during the fire.
Bruce is staying with his niece for now, but he said he might try to get a motel room.
"When you've been on your own, you try not to depend on someone else," he said.
-- Staff Writer Bridget Mire can be reached at 448-7639 or bridget.mire@dailycomet.com. Follow her on Twitter @bridget_mire.