UPDATE: Hot ashes likely cause of Kaleden garage fire

KALEDEN – A spectacular garage fire in Kaleden this morning may have been sparked by hot ashes.

Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department chief Darlene Bailey says it appears the blaze, which completely destroyed a large garage, began when hot ashes from a fireplace were left unattended in a container inside.

Several explosions could be heard when the garage at a home in the 200 block of Lakehill Road in Kaleden burst into flames at about 8:50 a.m., Feb. 24. The garage was engulfed in flames when Kaleden volunteer fire crews arrived on the scene.

Firefighters were able to save the nearby house but the garage and its contents are a total loss.

The homeowner, who did not wish to give her name, said a car and a motorcycle were lost to the flames. The garage also contained a workshop and greenhouse.

Bailey cautioned residents using wood heat in their homes to be careful when discarding ashes.

"Never leave them in a building and always use a metal container to collect them," she says, adding storage of collected ashes should be kept as far away from buildings as possible.

Kaleden firefighters battle a garage fire on Lakehill Road in Kaleden, Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. | Photographer: Steve Arstad

Kayla Chappell submitted this photo of the garage fire in Kaleden on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. SUBMITTED/Kayla Chappell

Kayla Chappell submitted this photo of the garage fire in Kaleden on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. SUBMITTED/Kayla Chappell

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— This story was updated at 10 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 to provide further details about the fire.


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Howard Alexander

Assistant Editor Howard Alexander comes to iNFOnews.ca from the broadcasting side of the media business.

Howard has been a reporter, news anchor, talk show host and news director, first in Saskatchewan and then the Okanagan.

He moved his family to Vernon in the 90s and is proud to call the Okanagan home.

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