Makeshift homeless shelter in Kelowna catches fire, scorches building

KELOWNA – A candle in a makeshift homeless shelter is the likely cause of a fire that damaged a commercial building early this morning.

At around 6:50 a.m., Nov. 30, as the temperature in Kelowna dropped below -6 Celsius, local firefighters were called to the temporary structure in an alley behind a commercial building on Leon Avenue.

Platoon Captain Eric Simpson says they found a shelter made of wooden pallets engulfed in flames. A shopping cart and a large number of personal belongings were also destroyed.

A passerby told firefighters only one man was staying there and that he has been using it to stay warm for the last several nights.

“There were some personal belongings but we think it was used as a homeless shelter because of what the passerby told (firefighters),” Simpson says. “It looks like (it was started by) a candle possibly to keep warm but there was no one at the scene to interview.”

The fire destroyed the shelter but damage to the commercial building was minor.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.