ENFIELD -- Pagans conducting rituals that involve fire are being advised to use caution now that local firefighters have had to extinguish a second Wicca-related fire since August.
The most recent incident happened Saturday, when two Wiccans accidentally set fire to Mary Palmieri's house while conducting a "cleansing ritual," Fire Marshal Paul Censki said Wednesday.
"Part of the ceremony is that they have a lit candle and what they do is write down everything they want to get rid of - as far as emotions or illness or whatever their problems happen to be - and then they rolled it up and they would burn that piece of paper and all those problems would allegedly go away," Censki said.
Palmieri, 44, allowed two pagan friends to perform the ritual to rid her of pain caused by a hiatal hernia.
Instead, her friends set fire to an upstairs bedroom.
"She went down the hall to get ready for bed or something, and she came back and they were trying to put the fire out," Censki said.
Though the fire appears to have been accidental, Censki said he still needs to talk to the two pagans who were conducting the ritual.
"I'm trying to get in touch with these people to get their side of what happened," Censki said.
In August, local firefighters found pagan symbols at the site of a fire that has been ruled an arson, Censki said.
Wicca is an ancient, nature-based religion that involves a belief in witchcraft. Censki said curiosity prompted him to research some of the practices of Wicca, and he was pleased to see that some pagans advise practitioners to use caution with open flames.
Palmieri, a member of a local Christian church, the Love and Hope Ministries, said she plans to rebuild the home and is through with Wiccan rituals.
"From now on, I will go to my pastor," she said.