Penticton firefighters respond to microwave fire, gas line rupture

PENTICTON – A fire in a microwave that spread to the home has displaced a Penticton resident for a few days.

Deputy Fire Chief Chris Forster says Penticton firefighters were called to a Burnaby Avenue address around 2:23 a.m. this morning, Nov.29, to find a residence filled with smoke.

Forster says the homeowner was heating up a therapeutic bean bag in the microwave when it caught fire, spreading to a nearby cabinet and scorching the wall.

Forster says the lone occupant of the residence was relocated for a few days due to smoke damage in the building.

Firefighters also spent nearly three hours monitoring a gas leak that closed Duncan Avenue between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. yesterday, Nov. 28.

A contractor using a back hoe inadvertently severed a large, 1.5-inch gas line, resulting in the need to close the road in order to maintain an appropriate safety zone.

Although a Fortis representative was quickly on scene to assess the incident, the nearest repair crew had to come from Osoyoos, Forster says.

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