Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews deal with a fire at an abandoned property on Terminal Ave. on Thursday afternoon. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

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Fire starts at former Nanaimo restaurant deemed nuisance property

Jan 12, 2023 | 2:17 PM

NANAIMO — Fire has broken out at the site of a former restaurant.

Flames were reported coming from an abandoned building in the 1000 block of Terminal Ave. at St. George St. on Thursday, Jan. 12 just before 2 p.m. with multiple callers alerting 911.

Smoke was billowing from the building, however firefighters on scene quickly doused flames inside, which were visible for a short period of time.

“We got our lines out right away, hit it from the outside which extinguished the inside mostly,” Capt. Earle Ten Have said on scene. “(We) got some interior teams in there and found out it was a fairly small fire.”

He said it was difficult to determine a source, however the fire appears to have started outside with no forceable entry noted by crews.

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Nanaimo Fire Rescue were forced to close traffic on the Island Hwy./Terminal Ave. in order to run a hydrant line. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Witnesses told NanaimoNewsNOW they believed the fire started around one of the outside doors, however flames quickly spread inside.

“There was nobody around when we got here. We’ve done a full search…nobody inside. The building was locked up,” Ten Have added.

No injuries were reported.

A full complement of Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews attended, along with Nanaimo RCMP for traffic control.

Both directions of Terminal Ave. N were closed for around 20 minutes as crews ran a hydrant line across four lanes of traffic. Partial resumption of traffic occurred around 2:25 p.m. Traffic in both lanes resumed around 2:35 p.m.

The rear of the abandoned building on Terminal Ave., which caught fire on Thursday afternoon. (Jordan Davidson/NaniamoNewsNOW)

Ten Have noted these fires typically occur when colder weather moves into the region. They’re dangerous regardless of location.

“It’s always a danger, not only for the building danger but also the smoke inhalation for the people that are lighting the fires.”

The subject building was declared a nuisance property by the City of Nanaimo in June 2022. It has been vacant for many years and changed owners in 2018.

A former family restaurant site has caught fire, closing traffic on the Island Hwy. in both directions. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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