Selby St. resembled a lake as NFR crews attacked a long-lasting structure fire on Selby St. on Monday, Oct. 10. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

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Oct 11, 2022 | 6:08 AM

NANAIMO — A packed warehouse proved to be a challenging venue for Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews to knock down a long-lasting fire.

A Selby St. storage facility filled with fireplaces was substantially damaged by fire on Monday, Oct. 10 which saw crews on scene for several hours actively fighting flames.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue Capt. Chad Porter said the owner of the affected business stated nobody was known to be inside the warehouse since last Friday.

“Workers that work here have accounted for everyone that we believe may have been in the building. There was nothing to suggest of any entry by others upon our arrival.”

There were no known injuries associated to the fire as of Monday evening.

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Just after 5 p.m. the fire was called into NFR, which saw heavy, dark smoke billowing into the sky.

NFR issued a tweet asking people to avoid the area and for area residents to close their windows with heavy wind and localized smoke.

Porter noted preliminary information did not suggest entry was gained by anybody not associated with the business but it wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the fire, which he said originated toward the back interior of the building.

The warehouse was mostly filled floor to ceiling with fireplaces, while wood pallets and cardboard served as accelerants.

“…making it very challenging and cumbersome for crews to gain access to where the fire was located as well as get effective water on the fire,” Porter said.

Thick smoke filled the sky during a Selby St. structure fire. (Darrell Bellaart)

NFR crews had to scale back from an more aggressive stance against the fire.

“When our members were inside actively firefighting they observed a partial roof collapse, immediately withdrew from the building and we regrouped to what’s called defensive operations.”

The fire was contained to the cinder block building, with a coffee shop on one side and a multi-family residential building on the other.

Aside from a filled warehouse providing challenges, few windows and doors added to the complexity of extinguishing the fire quicker.

More than 20 NFR members were dispatched to the fire, while the street was closed with Nanaimo RCMP and BC Ambulance personnel also on scene.

Selby St. between Fitzwilliam and Franklyn streets was closed for several hours during the fire response.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes