Fire investigators are picking through what's left of the interior of a house at 376 Seventh St. that was ravaged by an early morning blaze Monday.
Firefighters scrambled to scene shortly after 2 a.m., but it was already too late to save much of the two-storey rental house in Harewood as flames scorched through the upper floor of the structure and caused the roof to cave in.
Firefighters were still on scene at about 9:30 a.m. snuffing out hotspots in the building.
Rick Kwasnecha and Umesh Lal, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire prevention officers, said at the scene the structure suffered heavy fire damage upstairs and extensive water and smoke damage to the bottom floor.
"We had 10 [people] living there and we supported seven and gave them the full 72-hour assistance," said Karen Lindsay, Nanaimo Emergency Services coordinator.
No one was injured in the fire and the homeowners had insurance.
Investigators have yet to determine specifically what sparked the blaze, but Kwasnecha said investigators had found nothing of a suspicious nature that might have triggered it.
