Massive fire destroys Nanoose Bay ‘dream’ home

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WatchNeighbours saw the flames just before 3:30 am Monday but by the time firefighters from three area departments arrived, the fire was engulfing the house.

The lot on Bay Drive in Nanoose Bay was the perfect place to build a dream home, but all that’s left of that house now are charred wall frames and posts after a massive fire reduced it to mere rubble early Monday morning.

“When I got up and looked out the window, this was about 3:30, the sky was just red from the blaze,” said Jim Murray, who lives nearby.

Murray called 911 then grabbed his camera and went to the unoccupied house where there was little he could do other than snap several incredible photos before firefighters arrived.

“I think the first of the photos I got shows probably how far the fire had got when the trucks arrived and what looked to me to be the garage side of the house was really substantially ablaze,” added Murray.

Firefighters from Nanoose Bay Fire Department arrived within a few minutes.

“Our first arriving officer arrived to a house that was almost completed in construction and unfortunately at that point, the fire had already totally engulfed the garage and well into the upper floor,” said Nanoose Bay Fire Department Training Officer Denis Holme.

The house was under construction but nearly completed and the owners who are away right now would have been moving into it in about three weeks. No one was in the house and there were no injuries.

“It was nearly completed,” said Holme. “I understand it was about three weeks from the occupants moving into their dream house yeah. I don’t know the full square footage of it but it was a big house for sure.”

There are no fire hydrants in the immediate area and mutual aid was called in from the Parksville and Errington fire departments.

“What we wanted to look after was the exposures. The house was burning hot so we wanted to make sure there was no damage to the neighbouring house as well,” said Holme.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Dean StoltzDean Stoltz

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