A patient has been airlifted to hospital in Victoria following a motorhome fire in Nanaimo.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue, B.C. Ambulance and RCMP rushed to the scene shortly after 8 a.m. Friday, July 12, in the 600 block of Pine Street. Firefighters arrived to find the motorhome and a hydro pole next to it on fire.
“We showed up on scene and it was fully involved,” said Nanaimo Fire Rescue Capt. Jody Lucas. “Our crews quickly got on the flames. We put some water on it right away. Another crew came in shortly behind us and became a medical crew because there was an occupant that was in the motorhome who was pulled out by bystanders.”
Lucas said the man who was living in the vehicle, thought to be a senior, suffered significant burns and possibly a compromised airway and was flown by air ambulance to Victoria General Hospital.
“There was a dog walker walking by this morning ... She pulled him out through a window, apparently, and as soon as he escaped through the window our crews were on scene and took it from there.”
A B.C. Hydro pole was heavily fire-damaged and power lines had fallen on the ground when firefighters arrived. Power was cut to the pole, but B.C. Hydro had not reported any power outages for the area as of Friday morning. Lucas said the motorhome was drawing its electrical power from a nearby residence.
Investigators with Nanaimo Fire Rescue’s fire and loss prevention division are combing through the remains of the motorhome to try to determine what sparked the blaze.
“It doesn’t seem to be any criminal intent at this time, so we’ll just have to see what the investigation comes up with,” Lucas said.
