A late night house fire has been handed over to the Nanaimo RCMP to look into.
The blaze broke out in the back of a house at 763 Albert St. in south Nanaimo at about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The exterior siding and back porch of the home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and caused significant damage by the time fire crews snuffed it out.
Rick Kwasnecha, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire prevention officer, said based on the location and circumstances of the fire, he deemed its cause suspicious and turned the investigation over to police after his initial findings at about 3 a.m. Thursday.
Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong, Nanaimo RCMP spokeswoman, said all occupants escaped the house safely and no one was injured.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.