A woman from Ontario has no place to live following a fire in her camper van Wednesday.
The blaze broke out shortly before 10:30 a.m. at the corner of Terminal Avenue and Wentworth Street.
Ennis Mond, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire prevention officer, said the woman had just refuelled the 1974 Ford Econoline camper at a Chevron station and was about to pull out onto Terminal Avenue when the van’s engine quit.
“It stalled and sputtered at the stop sign,” Mond said. “Then there was a backfire underneath the cowling. She opened it up and it was on fire.”
Mond said the initial investigation indicated a fuel leak triggered the blaze.
The vehicle had insurance, Mond said, but he was not sure if it was insured for fire.
“The woman just purchased it about two or three weeks ago and had just moved out here from Ontario,” Mond said. “She has no work and lives in the van.”