Deputy Fire Chief Gerry Giunta said an unattended candle started a fire in a Housing Authority apartment Friday morning.

Giunta said the fire, which was called in at 8:26 a.m., started on the ninth floor in the corner of a bedroom in apartment 903 at 27 Charter St. No one was in the apartment at the time of the fire, officials said.

No injuries were reported.

"There was a little shrine set up. A candle started the fire, and the sprinklers actually went off and held it [the fire] at bay," Giunta explained. Giunta said Engine One arrived on scene first and was able to completely extinguish the fire.

While the sprinklers "saved the apartment from fire damage," there was some water damage "due to sprinkler activation," Giunta explained, adding that the Salem Housing Authority responded "quickly" and worked to vacuum the water in the apartment. Water managed to trickle down to a couple  other apartments, but those adjacent to apartment 903 were not affected by the water, Giunta said.

At 9:05 a.m., Giunta said the fire department was set to "leave the scene" and all apartments except for 903 "were set to be reccupied."

"Overall, it worked out well," Giunta said. "A candle was left unattended, which is a  huge 'no no.'" Giunta said without the sprinklers, the fire could have started "rolling" and damage could have been much worse. "Sprinklers help us hugely," he said.

Stephen Walsh contributed to this report.