A small shed fire was spotted and battled by neighbors just off Lanes Road in Edgewater Terrace in Cowichan Bay.
The incident occured about 10 a.m. Tuesday on June 5.
Nobody was home at the time but neighbors saw the thick smoke and stepped up and controlled the fire until the fire department responded.
“We used garden hoses and two drychem extinguishers to control the fire,” said neighbour Thomas Wagner.
Through their efforts, the fire was contained to the shed and did not spread to the adjacent dwelling or to the nearby forest.
The shed’s internal structure was, however, damaged as a result of the fire. It was a “considerable intangible loss as it was a workshop for a craftsman,” said Wagner.
The fire was later proven to be caused by an electrical short circuit.