19 firefighters respond to multi-unit rental house fire in downtown Nelson

Nineteen firefighters responded to a downtown Nelson structure fire Tuesday afternoon that heavily involved a multi-unit rental house and threatened a neighbouring building.

Flames spread through a multi-unit residential rental house in the 500 block of Hall Street in Nelson on Aug. 11, 2026.

Nelson Fire & Rescue Services was called to the 500 block of Hall Street at 12:49 p.m. on Aug. 11.

The department said its two on-duty firefighters and both chief officers responded immediately, while off-duty firefighters were paged to assist.

When the first crew arrived, heavy fire and smoke were coming from throughout the multi-unit residential rental house.

Nelson Fire & Rescue said the building’s older and complex design contributed to challenging fire conditions, with flames threatening other portions of the structure as well as a neighbouring building.

Nelson Police officers had already evacuated the tenants before firefighters arrived, allowing crews to begin attacking the fire without needing to conduct rescues.

Firefighters established a water supply from a nearby hydrant and initially attacked the blaze from outside.

Crews were able to knock the fire down quickly enough to remove the immediate threat to neighbouring buildings before additional firefighters arrived and suppression efforts moved inside.

The fire was ultimately contained to the building where it began.

An adjacent four-plex did sustain some damage, but Nelson Fire & Rescue said a Building Code-compliant exterior sprinkler system and fire-rated wall helped prevent the fire from spreading further.

Damage to the four-plex was described as comparatively minor, and its tenants were able to return home later Tuesday evening.

In total, 19 firefighters responded with two fire apparatus, a command vehicle and a utility vehicle.

Nelson Police, BC Emergency Health Services, Nelson Hydro and FortisBC also assisted during the response.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Nelson Fire & Rescue’s release did not say whether tenants of the building where the fire began were able to return or where they were staying afterward. The release also did not provide information about injuries.