Nanaimo Fire Rescue rushed to put out a house fire that spread from a wood stove this morning.
Crews were dispatched to a home on Mill Street, close to Barsby Avenue, at approximately 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
The home's tenant said he was burning garbage in the wood stove when the fire started to spread beyond the chimney. He and his two cats were able to make it safely out of the house.
Troy Libbus, Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant chief, said the structure fire was "fully involved" when crews arrive. He said one of the challenges with this particular fire was the long driveway, which meant longer lines were needed.
"Crews were pretty good, we pulled some lines, they're pretty quick, very skilled professionals," he said. "The challenge was it was defensive so we had to hit it from the outside before we even think of making an interior attack."
He said the amount of damage to the home means the resident and his pets will be displaced. Emergency social services have been contacted.
"We did succeed in stopping the spread of the fire, like I said, the crews contained it on the outside and we're still working on the inside at this time."
Not speaking to this particular incident, Libbus said when it comes to wood stoves, there are a couple things homeowners should keep in mind.
"My advice to any homeowner that has a wood stove is 鈥� make sure it's certified, that's really important, especially for your insurance, but every year have it cleaned," he said. "Have it cleaned by a professional because creosote does build up in a wood stove and that does cause fires and you do get chimney fires. If you do clean it out every year, you won't have any concern about any fires."
