A devastating fire consumed a Nanaimo home on Ney Dr. on Friday, Oct. 4 at around 1:45 a.m. The home is located off Vista View Cres just north of Pipers Pub. (Krista Briere)

By Ian Holmes

house fire

Fire levels north Nanaimo home, 6 people displaced

Oct 4, 2019 | 4:01 AM

NANAIMO — A large house fire lit up the north Nanaimo sky as several people in the home fled for safety.

Umesh Lal of Nanaimo Fire Rescue said they responded to the fully involved fire at a Ney Dr. home at 1:45 a.m. Friday.

He said all six people in the home’s two suites got out safely.

“There are no injuries that we are aware of and as far as we know they did not have any tenants insurance,” Lal said.

He said it’s believed the non-suspicious fire began on the home’s back exterior.

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“Because of the structures along the sides of the house and potential trees and shrubbery can easily catch on fire, so it was important to get water on it on all three sides.”

Vinyl siding to both neighbouring homes near Hartwig Cres sustained minor heat damage, Lal said.

Three days of complimentary shelter will be provided to people in the home.

Lal said the home is likely a write-off, which will be ultimately settled by the insurance process.

Aftermath of a large house fire in Nanaimo’s Rocky Point area. (Krista Briere)

Krista Briere lives across the street from the badly charred home.

Her boyfriend woke up after he heard screaming.

“He saw the flames coming out of the roof so he woke me up and we ran out of the house to make sure everybody was out of the house and okay.”

Briere said she was unable to go back to sleep.

“Your nerves are just panicked, adrenaline kicks in…it’s a shock.”

Nanaimo Fire Rescue investigators are trying to pin down how the fire started.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes