A Nanaimo woman has lost her home after an apparent brush fire spread to the house and destroyed it on Saturday evening.
Nanaimo Fire rushed to the two-storey residence at 1348 Jester’s Way at 3:38 p.m. after a fire outside the house extended up into the attic, said assistant chief of operations Greg Norman.
Heavy winds and extremely dry conditions caused spot fires to flare up in the bushes of neighbouring homes. Two decks of nearby homes also caught fire, but 20 firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading to any other buildings. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.
The house at 1348 Jester’s Way was destroyed, but the woman who lives there was not injured.
One neighbour said it was a scary situation, but the fire department did an excellent job of containing the blaze.
The Coastal Fire Centre had a helicopter nearby to monitor the situation in case the fire spread to a nearby grassy area called Linley Valley, Norman said.
“With the wind blowing, we’re always concerning about wildfires spreading,” he said. “We’re at a rating five [for fire danger] right now.”
Firefighters were on scene until about 10 p.m.
Norman said the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The resident has been offered assistance from emergency social services.
