Shortly after midnight Wednesday, two people escaped without major injury as an abandoned building on Cliffe Avenue went up in flames.
Located near the BC Ambulance station, the house is known to be frequented by the Valley's homeless population.
Courtenay fire chief Don Bardonnex told 'A' Vancouver Island there were two people sleeping on the front porch when firefighters arrived on scene.
"We checked the basement area. There's a lot of people that are known to be sleeping there. That was checked out — so far, just the two occupants," he said.
A neighbour told media the couple who fled the burning building — a man and a naked woman — were involved in a heated argument after the fire broke out. Police had to subdue the woman as she was running around the property.
Fire officials say there was no power to the building and they are still determining the cause of the fire.