At 7:21 .pm on June 11, 2020, two Nelson Fire & Rescue Services crew members arrived to a ceiling area of a bathroom on Victoria and Josephine Street.
It was all hands on deck shortly after when 22 more firefighters followed suit from their homes, bringing with them two fire engines, one ladder truck, one tender truck, and two utility vehicles.
“When the first crew arrived, NPD members confirmed that everyone was out of the building. The fire had extended to the ceiling space and an aggressive interior attack was initiated.” Assistant Fire Chief Mike Daloise reported in Thursday night’s release.
He added, “The structure had undergone extensive renovations and modifications that made accessing the area where the fire had traveled to very challenging. The fire caused enough damage to the roof structure that continuing to attempt to suppress the fire from the inside was no longer safe, and a defensive, exterior attack was transitioned to. The ladder truck was utilized to try and get water in the attic space to prevent it from spreading to the businesses below.”
The building also houses Nelson’s Busaba Thai Cafe, which sits below the suite that was engulfed in flames. No word yet on the severity of damage the local business sustained.
As of 9:00 p.m on Thursday, crews were still identifying and isolating hot spots to completely extinguish the fire. Significant fire damage impacted the the roof structure and part of the upper floor, with smoke and water damage throughout the building.
No injuries were reported as a result of the fire and its cause is under investigation.
Nelson Fire & Rescue Services would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to call 911 immediately when they find a fire.
Nelson Fire & Rescue Services would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Nelson Police Department members, BC Ambulance Service personnel, Nelson Hydro and FortisBC Gas for their assistance with this incident.
The blaze adds to the already long list of emergencies Nelson Fire & Rescue Services responded to so far this week.
Monday morning crews rescued a capsized elderly kayaker and later in the day, the very same crew responded to a call for an elderly female in cardiac arrest with the BC Ambulance Service.
Tuesday was no cakewalk either.
A large fire at 308 Chatham St. forced crews into immediate defensive mode to protect the two adjacent homes.
see: UPDATE: Three Nelson homes damaged following Tuesday fire
At 11:34 a.m. one Engine and 4 Firefighters were forced to brake away from the Chatham fire to respond with NPD and BC Ambulance Service to a two car collision at Front and Cedar Streets. The collision significantly damaged both vehicles involved and slowed traffic at the busy intersection. Fortunately no injuries occurred.
Nelson Fire Chief Len MacCharles reported that while still cleaning and refitting equipment from Tuesday’s morning fire, Fire Dispatch received more 911 calls at 3:49pm for an apartment fire at 564 Ward Street.
Crews were able to stop the fire that originated in a bathroom and was beginning to spread to the living room of the second floor apartment.
“We have seen some very serious incidents take place over the past day or so”, said MacCharles. “Along with a number of medical first responder incidents and motor vehicle collisions, we have had two serious fires and a water rescue take place in 24 hours. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries or fatalities from the fires and water rescue. It is important to note that emergency response involves a lot of resources from various agencies. We work closely with Nelson Police, Public Works, BC Ambulance Service, Nelson Hydro, Fortis Gas, towing companies and others. These collaborative relationships made a significant difference during these incidents.”