Nanaimo firefighters pulled a man from his second-storey bedroom after fire raced through a home on Hillside Avenue shortly after 4 a.m. on Monday.
The man suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital but is believed to be in good condition, said Alan Millbank, captain and chief fire prevention officer for Nanaimo Fire Rescue.
The fire appears to have originated from the exterior of the home’s front porch. The man woke up to a smoke alarm and unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the blaze, Millbank said.
The resident went into his bedroom at the rear of the house and was able to get out via a ladder set up by firefighters.
The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined but it’s believed to be accidental, Millbank said.
The flames climbed the front exterior of the house and went into the roof soffits, then burned through the truss work. The roof collapsed inward, he said.