A home in Nanaimo’s city limits was destroyed by a fire early Sunday morning.
A house and detached garage on the 2600 block of Stobart Road burned down a little after 6 a.m. on Dec. 10.
Six people in the house and some pets evacuated safely, but one dog, a black lab, hadn’t been located. Some livestock were safe, but some chicks died.
“Two cows and a bunch of chickens are fine, but the little baby chicks that they had – and we’re unsure the number of them, there was quite a few – they were in a little shed that was totally incinerated,” said Bryun Ashlie, a captain with Nanaimo Fire Rescue.
The property is just off of East Wellington Road, but within Nanaimo Fire Rescue boundaries, so it was four Nanaimo engines that responded to the fire.
“One of the structures was fully involved, the garage on the left, and then the house on the right was one-quarter involved,” Ashlie said.
It was the next-door neighbour who called 911; the homeowner said he had been sitting down at breakfast, smelled smoke, turned and could see flames. He attempted to put out the fire with a hose but realized it was too late.
Six people safe after house fire on Nanaimo's outskirts this morning… https://t.co/D2idI5fhKk #Nanaimo pic.twitter.com/GVH3ddkzue
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin) December 10, 2017
The garage building had a workshop filled with tools, as well as several vehicles. A Mercedes, a Chevy pickup and a camper were all destroyed and an aluminum boat was damaged.
“They are partially insured for the building and partial outbuildings, not all of them,” Ashlie said.
At least two neighbours had offered temporary accommodations to the occupants of the house.
Crews are continuing to put out hot spots. Investigators will be on scene Monday to try to determine the cause of the fire.
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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