Cube van erupts in flames at Okanagan Falls service station

OKANAGAN FALLS – Police are calling a fire which damaged a cube van and a nearby building in Okanagan Falls last night suspicious.

The van burst into flames near the Centex gas station in Okanagan Falls shortly after 11 p.m. yesterday, May 16, Penticton RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says.

A motorist passing by noticed flames enveloping the front of the van with the driver’s door open. The vehicle had no plates on it.

Okanagan Falls firefighters were able to knock down the flames just as they were spreading to an adjacent building, but not before considerable damage was done to the building’s exterior.

Police are calling the incident suspicious.

The matter continues under investigation, though video footage taken at the scene may reveal a suspect known to police. 

A woman working at the Cantex gas station, who did not wish to be named, says she and her husband owned the van. It had been sitting in the lot for several months, and they were considering auctioning it off because they were no longer using it.


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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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