Nanaimo fire damages two homes

CHEK

Firefighters knock down flames after they jump fence to neighbouring home. Dean Stoltz reports. 

An investigator with Nanaimo Fire Rescue spent Saturday morning taking photos and gathering evidence at the scene of a house fire in the 2000 block of Bowen Road near Latimer Road.
“So the fire started down in this area here on the driveway,” said Fire Investigator Ennis Mond. “What started it, we don’t know yet, still have some interviews to do.”
Firefighters were called to the house around midnight and arrived to find flames in a driveway beside one house spreading to the house next door.
“Pretty well involved when they got here yes” added Mond. “Witnesses on Bowen Road stated the flames were above the edge of the roof.”
And they were spreading to the house next door where Linda Cotton was sleeping in her ground floor apartment. She usually locks the door but for some reason had left it unlocked allowing the person upstairs to go right into her bedroom to wake her up.
“The lady from upstairs came in and woke me up and said fire get out, and so she was pulling my hand.” said Cotton.
But she wouldn’t leave without her bird “Chirpy,” so another man who just stopped by to help grabbed it’s cage and they all made it to safety as the flames crossed a fence and on to her deck.
“Well it was pretty upsetting, you know you’re in shock I guess and you just don’t think straight, you just want to get away.” said Cotton.
No one was injured but several people were living in both homes.
Investigators say it doesn’t look like the cause is suspicious but there was a lot of flammable material in the driveway where the fire started.
“There have been remnants I have found of jerry cans, barrels and they appear to have flammable liquids in them.” said Mond.
The first house sustained considerable damage but Linda Cotton feels quick action by firefighters saved her home.
“It’s amazing, if they hadn’t of been so quick I think this house would have gone down too.” she said.
Dean StoltzDean Stoltz

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