An apartment fire in the 600 block of Prideaux Street has been deemed suspicious and has left 20 people looking for housing after extensive damage was done to the backside of the building.
According to Nanaimo Fire’s Drew Kenny, the call came in at 7 a.m. on Saturday for a structure fire, but that is not where it started.
“The fire had originated in a dumpster outside, and had burnt up the side of the building,” he says. “The fire was extinguished by the crews but not before it caused significant damage.”
He says the damage spread to several units in the apartment leaving them uninhabitable.
“Fifteen units suffered extensive smoke and water damage from the sprinkler systems,” he says. “Fourteen of the units had home insurance, but only one didn’t.”
There is no word yet on the cause of the fire, but Nanaimo Fire says the investigation is ongoing.
