A home in the 3200 block of Uplands Dr. was damaged by fire early Monday afternoon due to a cooking fire. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

kitchen fire

French fry cooking leads to Uplands Rd. house fire

Feb 10, 2025 | 1:19 PM

NANAIMO — A homeowner cooking a batch of french fries on a stove led to a damaging cooking fire in central Nanaimo.

Emergency services were called to a home on Uplands Dr. just north of Mexicanna Rd. on Monday, Feb. 10 just after 12:30 p.m., when flames from a stove quickly spread through the kitchen in the upper floor of a home.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant chief Troy Libbus said on scene firefighters had the situation under control within a few minutes of arriving.

“The lady inside, the homeowner, was cooking with oil…it did catch on fire. We went in and put the fire out. There’s extensive damage to the kitchen and smoke throughout the house.”

Traffic was detoured away from the scene while emergency crews attended. The impacted home is not habitable for the time being. (Kyle Ireland/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Fire spread from the stove to the cupboards and elsewhere in the kitchen.

He said it’s crucial to not leave any open flame or combustible elements unattended.

“Never leave a kitchen when you’re cooking, especially with oil. Oil is volatile and you can see what just happened…the damage that was caused from that.”

Three people were home at the time, with two women treated on scene for light smoke inhalation.

Libbus stated a family of four resides in the downstairs suite, but weren’t home at the time.

Libbus added the home had working smoke detectors, which helped in the response time by firefighters.

Records show the incident was initially treated as a “residential alarms activated” call by firefighters, before being upgraded to a structure fire when the homeowner was in contact with 911.

Traffic was closed along Uplands Dr. in both directions between Mexicana Rd. and Villa Rd. to allow space for firefighters and paramedics to work.

Damage from the fire was largely contained to the rear of the home. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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