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Campfire sparks blaze near Nanaimo home

NANAIMO – Kitchen fire displaces four while campfire comes close to having serious consequences over weekend.

A campfire, kitchen fire and burning couch kept firefighters and fire investigators hopping over the weekend.

A improperly doused campfire behind a duplex on Roberta Road nearly resulted in far more serious consequences early Saturday.

Firefighters were called out at about 3:20 a.m. Saturday to battle a blaze that was working its way into the building's exterior by the time they arrived.

Ennis Mond, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire prevention officer, said four people had been sitting around the fire for the evening, but failed to fully extinguish it when they turned in for the night.

An ember caught grass on fire, which spread to a fence, destroyed a small garden shed and was burning into the exterior of the house when firefighters arrived on scene.

"If somebody didn't wake up they would have had a major issue," Mond said. "The fire just about breached the window in the basement and there are significant burns to the deck above."

Firefighters dealt with a similar campfire-caused incident on Townsite Road July 15 that also destroyed a fence and garden shed.

Campfires are illegal in Nanaimo.

Four tenants are temporarily displaced after a fire broke out in a home's kitchen on the 800 block of Varsity Way Sunday.

That fire broke out about 6:30 p.m. Sunday in a range hood/microwave oven combination unit above the stove.

The person who discovered the fire was unable to call 911 from her phone system, so she went to a neighbour's to call for help.

"When she got back the place was full of smoke and she could see flames coming from the fan unit," Mond said.

Mond said another person knocked down the flames with a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived.

The four tenants living in the home were temporarily displaced due to smoke and fire extinguisher residue that dread throughout the building. Mond said none of the tenants are insured, but were provided temporary shelter at the Howard Johnson Hotel.

Fire damage was confined to the range hood/microwave oven unit.

Unknown persons lit a couch on fire on the 700 Haliburton Street shortly after midnight Sunday.

The couch was doused by firefighters, but Mond said attempts to determine who owned the couch and who lit it on fire turned up no useful information.



Chris Bush

About the Author: Chris Bush

As a photographer/reporter with the Nanaimo News Bulletin since 1998.
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