UPDATE: A second fire, in under 12 hours in a house in Nanaimo, has forced electrical power to be cut to the structure and the residents to leave.
The initial fire, in the house on the 200 block of Juniper Street, broke out the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 13, and was started by a malfunctioning bathroom fan that set fire to asphalt roof shingles above it. The fire was snuffed out, but firefighters rushed back to the scene shortly before 3 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, when a second fire broke out in the house.
Stu Kenning, Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant chief, said he wasn’t able to share much information about the cause of the second fire, other than it did cause more damage to the house.
“I can’t give you much on that, but they’re both being investigated and we’ll hopefully have an answer about how they started, but it does not appear suspicious,” Kenning said.
Kenning said the residents – the owner and a child, who reside in the upper floor, and a tenant, who rents the downstairs suite – were cleared to move back into the house after the first fire, but could not remain in the house after electricity was disconnected.
Kenning said the homeowner has insurance, but the tenant did not. No injuries were reported from either incident.
PREVIOUSLY POSTED: Three occupants of a house in Nanaimo will likely be able to stay in their home following a fire that broke out this afternoon.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue firefighters from three fire stations responded at about 3:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, to the fire that broke out in the house on the 200 block of Juniper Street.
Capt. Scott Matrenga, scene commander, said the fire started in an upstairs bathroom fan and spread to the roof shingles of the house.
“We saw light smoke from the roof and fire coming out of the roof from the bathroom,” Matrenga said. “Crews went inside and determined the fire was basically just a bathroom fan on fire. So, the fire was minimal … So far, we’re thinking the family will be able to reside there.”
He said the sight of the burning roof shingles initially lead firefighters to believe the fire was worse than it was, but they soon found the fan had actually burned itself out, which left crews to deal with the fire on the roof and checking to see if the blaze had gotten into the roof structure.
The section of Juniper Street’s 200 block and its intersection with Discovery Avenue were closed to lay hose to a fire hydrant and for fire trucks at the scene. Nanaimo RCMP and B.C. Ambulance also remained on scene.
None of the residents or their pets were injured.
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