Fire investigators believe a candle left unattended on a dresser caused Tuesday's raging three-alarm fire at the Windsor House Apartments on Rhode Island Avenue.

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The fire spread quickly from the ninth floor to the roof, trapping some residents in their units, forcing firefighters to make rescues.

Six people were hurt — three residents and three firefighters — though none of the injuries was considered serious.

D.C. school teacher Meredith Jones said at first she thought the smoke was coming from her TV.

"The alarms started going off and [I] grabbed my keys and my phone and ran down the stairs," Jones recalled.

Her boyfriend had to buy her new clothes that weren't tainted by smoke.

Building resident Sarah Wilson said she'd just gotten out of her car and was about to walk into the building when she saw that it was on fire.

"Mainly, I was just concerned to make sure everyone got out," Wilson said. "We've got a lot of elderly people in the building and a lot of people with pets."

Twenty-one people were displaced in all. The entire ninth floor was condemned, along with some apartments on the eighth and tenth floors.

Two people claiming to be residents— neither would give their names— said they were offered hotel rooms last night by the building's management but didn't know where they would be staying tonight. ABC 7's Sam Ford reported that building management couldn't be reached for comment.