Tragedy struck the Marion community in the early hours of Saturday morning, when a house fire claimed the life of a two-year-old boy.

According to Marion Chief of Police Tony Bufford, the official cause of the blaze “is still under investigation” by the state fire marshal.

However, Bufford said he had spoken to the boy’s 14-year-old brother and speculated that an overturned candle had been the source of the fire. According to Buford, there was “no electricity on” in the house at the time, and candles were being used for lighting. Left unattended, a candle could have easily begun the fire.

The 14-year-old brother managed to escape the spreading flames and survive, but his younger sibling was sadly not as fortunate.

The boys’ parents and owners of the residence, Kevin and Jamarja Carlisle, were “out of the house at the time,” according to Bufford.

If the source of the blaze is indeed proven to be a candle intended for lighting, the case will awaken tragic echoes in Uniontown, where in May of last year a 24-year-old mother and four children perished in a trailer fire also caused by an unattended candle.