Tire fire in vacant Penticton house accidentally set by homeless squatter

By Steve Arstad
January 08 2016 05:37 AM

PENTICTON – A New Year’s Eve house fire in a vacant Wade Avenue building was not set deliberately, according to police.

The fire, first spotted around 4:15 p.m. on Dec. 31, was the result of a tire catching fire, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says.

The tire was being used as a cooktop sitting on a table by a homeless person squatting in the basement of the house in the 500 block of Wade Avenue.

The fire caused considerable smoke but was extinguished before it could spread.

Police say no intent was involved but the woman, who is known to police, was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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By Steve Arstad
Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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