Nanaimo Fire Rescue responded quickly to a fire underneath a business complex on Norwell Dr., started by a person experiencing homelessness. (submitted photo/Mary Pearson)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

office fire

Multiple Nanaimo businesses affected by early morning fire

May 5, 2023 | 10:21 AM

NANAIMO — An early Friday morning fire substantially damaged an office complex behind Country Club Centre.

Emergency crews were called to the Norwell Professional Centre at 3260 Norwell Dr. on Friday, May 5 just after 6 a.m. to find smoke coming out of the building.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant fire chief Stu Kenning said the fire was started in the parkade by someone trying to stay warm.

“This building has a parkade in the basement and it looks like it was people experiencing homelessness in the parkade, they had a fire going, and the fire got big and went through the floor of the parkade into the building and it caused significant damage to the first floor of the building.”

Debris was left behind at the ignition point of a fire at a central Nanaimo office complex. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Kenning said four engines responded, taking crews three hours to extinguish the fire. Nobody was on scene when fire crews arrived, and no injuries were reported.

The unsecured parkade is beneath four businesses, all of which were closed and vacant at the time.

“A couple will have smoke and fire damage in it, and some will just have smoke damage,” Kenning added.

Crews had cleared the scene on Friday by 9:45 a.m., while the entire complex is closed for the time being.

Witnesses in the area reported dark smoke billowing out of the building at the time of the fire.

Firefighters and investigators on scene around 8:10 a.m. Friday morning assessing the damage after extinguishing the fire. (submitted photo/Mary Pearson)

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Multiple Nanaimo businesses affected by early morning fire

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