A fire in a central Nanaimo duplex Thursday night has temporarily displaced two families.
The blaze broke out about 10:20 p.m. when a cooking fire ignited on top of a kitchen stove, causing fire damage to the stove and kitchen cupboards.
Fire damage was minimal, contained to the stove and cupboards, said Ennis Mond, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire prevention officer, but heavy smoke spread through the suite, at 795 Brechin Rd.
"Every door was open, so every room was contaminated," Mond said.
Two women, and a child who live in the suite, plus two men who were visiting, managed to get out unhurt as did a man and woman living in the suite next door.
"They can't live in that half of the duplex anymore," Mond said. "There was a lot of smoke damage."
Mond said soft furniture and fabrics were ruined by the smoke and there were no working smoke alarms in either of the suites.
The two women and child living in the suite the fire started in were billeted out for three nights through the city's emergency social services program. The man and woman living next door have returned to their apartment.
Mond said the tenants of the smoke damaged apartment will be moved to another residence belonging to the property owner.