No one was injured, but a fire thought to be caused by smoking drugs displaced several residents from their apartments in an affordable housing building this week.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue responded to the alarm on Rosehill Street shortly before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
"They had a mattress fire in the second floor in one of the units that was caused by smoking or drug paraphernalia in the bedroom," said Stu Kenning, Nanaimo Fire Rescue deputy fire chief. "The fire was basically put out by the building's fire suppression system, the sprinklers in the building. Our crews went in and completed the extinguishment."
The fire suppression system created water damage with flooding on the second and first floors of the three-storey structure, which has a total of 23 bachelor suites.
"We had about 16 units that were uninhabitable and of those 16 units, we had to house seven people for the night," Kenning said.
He said a restoration company was on scene Thursday, Oct. 17, ensuring the building's sprinkler and electrical systems were safe and functioning correctly.
The non-profit that operates the building said it worked to ensure all tenants were housed, and has also been working with its insurance company this week. The building operator said it hasn't been advised of the cause of the fire.
Also this week, Nanaimo Fire Rescue put out a fire in an outbuilding behind a residence on the 900 block Moyse Street on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at about 4:30 p.m. Damage was contained to structure and did not impact the main residence. There were no injuries reported by crews on scene.
On Friday, Oct. 18, shorly before 6 a.m., firefighters were called to a fire at the exterior of the Heritage Indian Cuisine restaurant on Mary Ellen Drive. The fire started in a garbage bin and burned a part of the side of the building. Firefighters confirmed there was no fire or smoke damage inside the restaurant.
"It burned up the side, but it didn't get in anywhere," Kenning said. "The guys had to get in to make sure it didn't get into the kitchen, but it did not … The cause is undetermined."
