A fire broke out at a textile building downtown Nanaimo earlier today (May 2).
At approximately 11 a.m., Nanaimo Fire Rescue responded to a call of smoke coming from the building at 91 Comox Rd. The building is the site of Alsco, a manufacturer of textiles.
As crews tackled the fire, traffic was blocked between Comox Road and Front Street and Terminal Avenue, with access limited to Maffeo Sutton Park.
Craig Richardson, Nanaimo Fire Rescue chief, said the fire began inside a piece of a equipment believed to be a boiler and that Alsco employees attempted to contain the fire.
"People at the business expended some fire extinguishers at the beginning before we got here," he said.Richardson said when crews arrived on scene there was smoke coming from the building. The fire was eventually put out.
"We have used very little water ourselves to put the fire out," he said.
According to Richardson, one employee was examined by paramedics for possible smoke inhalation."One of the employees was looked at for either a breathing in some smoke or powder from the fire extinguisher and they are fine," he said.Nanaimo Fire Rescue will continue to investigate the cause of the fire throughout the day.