A parked BMW caught fire Friday morning in a residential area of central Nanaimo, with neighbours saying it hadn't been moved in quite some time. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

vehicle fire

Parked BMW burned in Nanaimo hours after windows smashed in

Nov 21, 2025 | 11:55 AM

NANAIMO — Smoke from a fully involved vehicle fire was seen through a large section of the city on Friday.

Calls to Nanaimo Fire Rescue came in around 10:40 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, reporting a parked BMW on fire in the 300 block of Black Diamond Dr., near the south Jingle Pot Rd. intersection with the Nanaimo Parkway.

Capt. Earle TenHave told NanaimoNewsNOW on scene, they arrived to find flames and considerable smoke coming from the car.

“It’s been here for a little while, the windows were broken last night, apparently, and then now it’s on fire.”

The doors of the BMW had melted from the fire burning for about 20 minutes before fire crews were able to put it out. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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A neighbour living across the road from the parked vehicle said he called 911 when he looked outside and saw the smoke.

Nearby residents indicated the car had been parked on the street in the same location “for months”, and two windows were smashed in overnight.

No homes or other structures were damaged as a result of the fire, with the vehicle parked approximately eight feet away from a retaining wall.

Flames were extinguished by 11 a.m., however, smoke was clearly visible from the northern edge of downtown Nanaimo and through parts of Harewood.

No one was inside the vehicle at the time, and a specific cause of the fire is under investigation.

Damage to the vehicle was extensive. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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