20 people displaced by fire at Nanaimo housing complex

Twenty people have been displaced following a fire at a temporary supportive housing complex in Nanaimo.

Fire crews arrived at the scene just after 5 p.m. Monday to find flames and heavy smoke coming from one of the structures at the site.

The fire was brought under control quickly and was contained to one unit.

No one was hurt or injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

There have been fire safety concerns at the building in the past, said NanaimoFire Chief Karen Fry.

"Many of the people in the rooms have been smoking and having hot plates in their rooms," she said. "Not very safe as far as the rules of the centre or the building occupancy."

One of the buildings in the complex suffered extensive smoke damage.

B.C. Housing is providing support for the 20 people who have been displaced by the fire, Fry said.

The 80-unit modular housing complex made up of work camp trailers opened in November to house some of the hundreds of people who were living in a tent city in Nanaimo.