UPDATE: Boat fire at Kelowna public launch near Eldorado doused

KELOWNA – Black smoke billowed into the sky on Okanagan Lake near Hotel Eldorado in Kelowna Saturday.

Kelowna Fire Department crews were on the scene shortly after 3:30 p.m. where a boat was fully-engulfed in fire. Using handlines, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, though the boat suffered extensive damage. The dock was also damaged, but Okanagan Lake was not contaminated by any fuel or oil.

"We were kind of far. It was at the public launch. We only saw once it was already on fire," said Joel Mawson, a supervisor at the Marina who witnessed the blaze.

According to Scott Clarke, Kelowna Fire Department platoon captain, five people were on board at the time of the fire. Everyone escaped, but two were treated by the BC Ambulance Service for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but it is not deemed suspicious.

Two engines, a command vehicle and nine firefighters were accompanied by the BCAS and RCMP.

-This story was updated at 3:59 p.m. to include quotes from the Hotel Eldorado Marina, and again at 5:19 p.m. to include information from the Kelowna Fire Department.

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