Firefighters rescue dog from apartment fire in Nanaimo

Nanaimo firefighters rescued a dog while they were responding to a fire in an apartment building on the weekend. Firefighters were called to an alarm in the 100 block of Haliburton Street on Saturday, Aug. 23.  “Upon arrival there was evacuation of a five-storey, multi-family residential building…” said Troy Libbus, Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant chief of operations. "We noticed light smoke on the second floor in an apartment and they noticed a dog pacing back and forth … in the window." Firefighters accessed the apartment balcony with a ladder and found the balcony door was open. “So we rescued the dog and brought the dog out and then [firefighters] continued on and there was a fire in the kitchen,” Libbus said. “It had open flames on top of the stove and the back splash upon us going in.”  The assistant chief said no one was home, but firefighters were able to contact the home owner, who did have insurance and is temporarily displaced. The fire damaged kitchen appliances and cupboards and required shutting off the electricity. The dog, an Australian shepherd, was unharmed.  Libbus said people should never leave home with cooking on the stove unattended. He also noted that it’s important to have fire insurance and working smoke alarms and to make sure to check them twice a year. The apartment’s smoke alarms were functioning.  The assistant chief noted that the homeowner had placed a sticker on the apartment door indicating there was an animal inside. He said the sticker in this case was from a local veterinary clinic, but they may also be available from pet supply stores. The sticker lists the type of pet, such as dog, cat or bird, that can be checked off to indicate the pets inside.