One man was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after fire broke out in a kitchen Monday in Harewood.
Firefighters responded to the alarm at a residence on the 400 block of Sixth Street shortly before 4 p.m.
The fire originated on the stove and ignited the kitchen cupboards.
“The kitchen had fire damage so [firefighters] had to tear the cabinets off the wall,” said Alan Millbank, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire prevention officer.
One tenant was living in the townhouse, but several family members were visiting for the holiday season.
“The smoke alarm alerted the occupant who was home at the time and he attempted to extinguish the fire and got it out, but he had smoke inhalation,” Millbank said.
He said the victim’s smoke inhalation was not severe and he was taken to hospital primarily for observation.
The fire and smoke damage has made the residence uninhabitable until repairs can be carried out.
“They’re not able to stay in the premises so they had to be evacuated and I guess they stayed with relatives,” Millbank said.
The tenant did not have tenant’s insurance, he said.
During the holiday season, when decorations and heaters place extra demands on electrical outlets, and accommodating visiting guests and family members, Millbank said residents need to be extra vigilant about keeping an eye open to spot potential causes of fire.
“As we’re getting closer to Christmas people should be a little more careful, with extra people staying in the house, that bedding isn’t up against baseboard heaters and that people are aware that their wiring may not be sufficient for the amount of new decorations,” he said. “Everybody’s cooking, so their ovens need to be cleaned before they cook so they don’t have oven fires.”
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