Three people were treated at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in an upstairs suite of a house in downtown Nanaimo Friday.
The fire broke out Friday at about 10:30 a.m. in a house at 320 Hecate St., where five people were living in three suites.
One resident had escaped from the top floor of the house, but firefighters found one woman in an upstairs window, unable to get out of the building because of heavy smoke. Firefighters helped the woman down a ladder to get her out of the house. An elderly woman was also helped out of the back of the home. The three victims were taken to hospital.
"The one lady had pretty heavy smoke inhalation, but they were released [Friday] from the hospital," said Karen Lindsay, Nanaimo Emergency Services manager.
One dog and five kittens were also rescued from the home unharmed.
Two people were given temporary shelter through the city's Community Assistance Program because of heavy damage to their suite. The other three residents were able to return to their suites.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.