Fatal Penticton house fire

PENTICTON – Fire crews found a body while fighting a house fire in Penticton Friday night.

Penticton firefighters were called to the fire on Smythe Drive at about 5:14 p.m., Feb. 20.

Crews arrived to find a neighbour using a fire extinguisher to put out a burning SUV in the driveway, fire chief Wayne Williams says.

“Our crews saw a fire up in the bedroom,” he says. “When they went into the house they extinguished the fire and found the victim.”

Williams says the vehicle fire didn’t spread to the house. It was a separate blaze.

The RCMP were called and determined foul play was not involved in the person’s death.

Williams can’t say what the cause of the fire is due to the nature of the death, adding the investigation has been turned over to the B.C. Coroners Service.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.