Elderly man with dementia is rescued from a fire at his home by a relative who forgot her purse

An elderly man with dementia had to be rescued by a relative from a fire at his Colorado home after failing to realize his 88th birthday candles had set the room alight. 

Home security footage taken Saturday shows Lawrence Peters, a former Denver police sergeant, sitting and watching the flames engulf the curtains. He is only saved when a family member comes back into the room after forgetting her purse. 

Peters’ grandson Aaron Richardville told KALB: ‘It just did not register for him. He did not realize the danger, and that is just the way that dementia works.’

Aaron said if it were not for his aunt discovering the fire they ‘wouldn’t have been able to get in here’ just 30 seconds later. The room was destroyed in two minutes.

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Footage shows Peters sitting eating and drinking as the curtain blows over the candle on a nearby side table. 

As smoke begins to rise Peters appears unaware of the growing fire. Other family members can be heard chatting in a nearby room. 

Even as flames become visible at the top of the curtains, Peters does not react, instead watching the fire as it grows. 

A family member then comes into the room screaming, leading Peters to safety while calling on her relatives to call 911.  

No was injured in the blaze but Aaron added: ‘It was the most frightening thing I have ever been through. The flames just started pouring out of the top, and it went so fast before there was anything we could even do about it.

‘People are the only things that are important, the possessions, everything that we have here can be replaced.

‘I will never light another candle in my house again.’