An early morning fire on Tuesday (Feb. 8) caused significant inventory loss to a Parksville business and forced the residents above to evacuate.
Fire Chief Marc Norris with the Parksville Fire Department confirmed crews were dispatched at 6:27 a.m. to the Island Cleaning Supplies storefront on Harrison Avenue.
“There was a significant amount of cleaning supplies and inventory in the area where the fire was that required firefighters to go through it,” he said, adding while the fire itself was extinguished in only a few minutes, crews were on scene for several hours overhauling the inventory to ensure that nothing was smouldering.
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According to Norris, the fire was contained to a single storage area, approximately 30 feet by 15 feet (9.1 metres by 4.6 metres) in the back of the building, causing smoke and heat damage. As the incident is still under investigation, he was unable to comment on the cause at this time. He did confirm there is no risk to the public or other area businesses regarding the fire.
Six people from two residential spaces above the commercial area were safely evacuated from the building. Smoke damage from the lower lever did rise to the third floor.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
Both Errington and Qualicum Beach fire department had trucks and members on site to provide assistance to Parksville firefighters.