Cause of downtown structure fire determined to be electrical

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed April 12, 2016 1:13 PM

Summary

Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire investigators have concluded their investigation into the March 30th structure fire at 10 Commercial Street. The cause of the fire is determined to be electrical in nature beginning in a void space between the first and second floors near the centre of the building. While there were reports of a power disruption in the downtown area on the afternoon of the fire, investigators do not believe it was a contributing factor and they are classifying this fire as accidental.

Working with the property owner, insurers and tenants, four Nanaimo fire investigators spent several days collecting physical evidence from the structure and several more days conducting interviews and analyzing results.

Link to Strategic Plan: The City of Nanaimo is committed to public safety.

Key Points

The cause of the fire is determined to be electrical in nature.
The fire started in a void between the first and second floors.
A power disruption in the downtown area is not believed to be a factor in the cause of the fire.

Quotes

"The fire started in a space between the floors which allowed the fire to quickly spread throughout the building. These are very difficult fires to fight."

Ennis Mond

Chief Fire Prevention Officer

Nanaimo Fire Rescue

"Fires of this magnitude are a rare occurrence in Nanaimo and the investigation team worked very hard to reach this conclusion as quickly as possible. Our thoughts are with the tenants as they continue to re-establish their businesses moving forward."

Craig Richardson

Fire Chief

Nanaimo Fire Rescue

-30-

Contact:

Ennis Mond

Chief Fire Prevention Officer

Nanaimo Fire Rescue

250-755-4563

ennis.mond@nanaimo.ca

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