Protection Island home levelled
Tom Davis, left, and Bob Nesbitt share binoculars on a park bench trying to catch a glimpse of detail behind a black column of smoke rising from Protection Island, where a fire destroyed a house on Captain Morgan’s Way Tuesday.
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Updated: September 09, 2009 12:07 PM
A Protection Island man watched as his home was levelled by fire Tuesday.
Doug Bell, chief fire investigator with Nanaimo Fire Rescue, said the owner stoked his wood stove just before 2:30 p.m., but forgot to close the door. He left the house and returned a few minutes later to find his living room in flames.
Volunteer firefighters on Protection Island arrived on the scene about nine minutes after the homeowner called. It took about 25 minutes for Nanaimo firefighters to get a ride to the island from the port authority.
“The part-time people protected exposure to other houses until the other crews got there,” Bell said. “Our guys had to take their truck down to the waterfront and gather their gear together – that took a little bit of time.”
Crews were there until about 8 p.m. mopping up the fire.
Bell said the owner, who lived with his son, has no insurance. Nobody was hurt in the blaze, but the owner’s dog is missing.
Neighbour Karen Faris was at the back of her house when she heard what sounded like cement pouring.
When she went to to look, she saw the house already engulfed in flames and Protection Island fire department volunteers fighting the blaze.
“It was quite a performance,” said Faris. “There was arcing going on with electrical wires. I would have expected a house fire to go much slower than that, but it was a pretty small house.”
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
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