Well over a dozen tires were stored inside a shed on Caledonia Ave. which caught fire Friday morning and sent a plume of black smoke into the sky. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

BLACK SMOKE

Small shed containing tires ignited behind Nanaimo German Cultural Centre

Sep 22, 2023 | 10:23 AM

NANAIMO — Despite a large plume of black smoke, damage from an early morning fire was contained largely to a small shed.

Fire Rescue Crews were called to a fully engulfed shed on fire behind the German Cultural Centre on Caledonia Ave., around 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 22.

Inside the shed were over a dozen tires, clothes and other items which were all destroyed.

“Crews arrived on scene to a fully involved shed, it was detached and behind the Cultural Centre in the back,” assistant fire chief Stuart Kenning told NanaimoNewsNOW. “Crews made access and knocked it down quite quickly, and there was a hydrant quite close by.”

A steel reinforced door remains standing, however most of the shed was completely destroyed. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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The fire was called in by a caretaker at the Cultural Centre who lives on site.

Very little, if any, damage was sustained by the main cultural centre building on the property and no injuries were reported.

The wooden shed featured what appeared to be a steel reinforced door which looked untampered with during a site visit by NanaimoNewsNOW after the fire, indicating the source of the blaze was likely behind the shed.

An investigation into the exact cause is ongoing and Kenning did not have a cause.

He added the contents of the shed made it a challenging scene.

“The shed was mainly used for storage so it just had storage of tires and other equipment in there, so the fire was quite difficult to put out but crews did a great job, lots of water on it and it went out fast.”

Four trucks responded with a total of 16 firefighters on scene, however roughly half the contingent was stood down quickly with the bulk of the work handled by two engines.

The area is a known spot for unhoused individuals, with several issues at the neighbouring Caledonia field over recent years, including multiple fires and break-ins involving the VI Raiders practice facility.

Fire was contained to a shed behind the German Cultural Centre early Friday morning. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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