Ashley Greene -- West Hollywood Condo Catches Fire

3:30 PM PT -- TMZ has learned, a candle was responsible for starting the fire.

12:16 PM PT -- A firefighter tells us ... Ashley, her boyfriend and her brother were out late last night and were sleeping when the fire broke out on the living room sofa. They ran out of the apartment, and then realized the dogs were still there. The 2 men tried to get back in to rescue them but couldn't. We're told Ashley wanted to keep the dog that died, so firefighters wrapped it in a sheet and gave it either to Ashley or one of the 2 guys.

11:50 AM PT -- A firefighter and a neighbor on scene just told TMZ ... one of the dogs died at the scene ... under the bed. We have been told a second dog is expected to be taken to Animal Control ... to be checked out. And, we're told several other residents tried to fight the blaze with fire extinguishers. They were covered in soot.

11:15 AM PT -- Residents in the building who live near Ashley tell TMZ ... Ashley's brother and assistant had been going in and out of the condo all morning. One resident says she heard glass exploding in Ashley's condo. The woman says Ashley's toy fox terriers were inside the unit. As we reported, one dog was definitely saved.

"Twilight" star Ashley Greene's home has been burnt to a crisp ... after a fire ripped through her West Hollywood condo, TMZ has learned ... but luckily, one of her dogs was saved. We know Ashley has 2 dogs, and we don't know the status of the second.

Marlo is a girl and Theo is a boy ... we're not sure which died.

At least 10 fire trucks swarmed to the 7-story building moments ago to extinguish the blaze. The full extent of the damage is unclear ... but a photo agency has released shots of the aftermath inside the apartment.

We don't know if Ashley was home at the time. One fireman told TMZ ... the fire started on a sofa.

Three people were treated for minor injuries.