None hurt in overnight house fires; one suspicious

Two fires within hours of each other last night kept Kelowna Fire Department busy last night.

The first fire began this morning around 2:30 a.m. when someone called 911 reporting heavy flames from a home on Cerise Dr. Platoon Captain Tim Light said the home was "fully involved" when crews arrived. After confirming that all residents were out of the house, firefighters initiated a defensive exterior fire attack. Two nearby properties were threatened and only one had minor damage.

They used three engines, one rescue vehicle, one command vehicle and a safety truck along with 16 firefighters and officers. Emergency social services was called to care for the adults, two children and three dogs who were displaced by the fire. Two cats and two guinea pigs are unaccounted for. Fire crews remain on scene mopping up hot spots at this time.

There were no injuries from this fire and the fire will be investigated in the morning.

While crews were fighting the fire on Cerise Dr. another 911 call reported smoke in the area of Molnar Rd. and Holbrook Rd. East.
First in crews reported smoke coming from the ground floor windows of 440 Holbrook East where entry teams found fire in the basement. All occupants were out of the building.
A working smoke detector alerted the occupants to the fire.
Two engines and one command vehicle along with nine fire firefighters and officers were on scene to extinguish the fire.
Damage to the residence is extensive.
FIve people were put into the care of Emergency Social Services along with two dogs and four cats.

The fire will be investigated jointly by RCMP and Kelowna Fire Department due to the suspicious nature.

The Kelowna Fire Department urges everyone to check their smoke detectors regularly.