Three homes are damaged following a fire Tuesday morning along Chatham Street and Nelson Avenue.
Nelson Fire and Rescue Services responded just after 7:30 am after reports that a home was on fire.
Reports of large amounts of smoke and flames prompted a swift response by firefighters. Two fire engines, 23 firefighters, one ladder truck, and two utility vehicles responded to the call.
“When the first crew arrived on scene, one house was fully involved in fire with extension to the two neighbouring houses on either side,” said Mike Daloise, Assistant Fire Chief. “The first arriving crew’s primary objective was to ensure that all occupants were out of the three houses and to prevent the fire from further extending to the adjacent properties.”
Daloise said all three homes were safely evacuated following help from the Nelson Police Department. No one was injured as a result of the fire.
“The fire was on a dead-end section of street that was quite steep and made access to the structures difficult,” noted Daloise. “The house with the initial fire is heavily damaged and the preliminary fire investigation is underway.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Besides Nelson Fire and Rescue Services, the Nelson Police Department (NPD), BC Ambulance Service, Nelson Hydro, and FortisBC Gas assisted in response to the fire.
“NPD members, in particular, were extremely helpful with the initial setup and suppression efforts and were instrumental in limiting the loss to the exposure houses.”
Firefighters remain on scene extinguishing hot spots while also salvaging any remaining property.
Daloise said the recent home fire is also a good time to remind the public that they should have a working smoke alarm in their homes.
“Any smoke alarms that are ten years or older should be replaced with a new one.”
Nelson Fire and Rescue Services will provide further details if more information becomes available.
