Damage is extensive to a home on Turner Rd., after an electrical fire broke out on Saturday morning. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

ablaze

No injuries after fire causes ‘substantial’ damage to north Nanaimo home

Sep 21, 2024 | 12:47 PM

NANAIMO — Eight people are displaced, but otherwise unharmed after a fast growing fire in the city’s north end.

Firefighters were called to a home in the 5500 block of Turner Rd., around 10:20 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21 after an apparent electrical short set the home ablaze.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue Capt. Tom Krall told NanaimoNewsNOW on scene the fire spready quickly and caused “substantial” damage both upstairs and down.

“It was electrical that started it then it had some accelerant with other items that were in the house that really got the flames going, got it burning a lot quicker than just a regular electronic fire.”

He said after accelerants included normal household chemicals and stressed the fire is not considered suspicious.

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Fire Investigators will be on scene on Monday, Sept. 23 to look into a specific cause.

Krall said the home will be boarded up and secured until then.

Both floors of the home were occupied by renters, all of whom were inside at the time. Four people upstairs and four downstairs were able to escape uninjured.

“The house is fully insured,” Krall said. “For the near term the tenants upstairs are staying with friends and for those downstairs, our emergency social services will house them for the foreseeable future.”

Smoke from the fire was visible across a large section of central and north Nanaimo, with traffic on Turner Rd. impacted for several hours.

There was no fire, smoke or water damage to neighbouring properties and residents of those homes were able to return once firefighters doused flames and secured the property.

Eight people are in other accommodations after a fire at a rental property in north Nanaimo on Saturday morning. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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