UPDATE: Firefighter injured in West Kelowna blaze

A firefighter was injured and two pets died in a West Kelowna house fire early this morning.

When West Kelowna Fire Rescue arrived at the Ponderosa Road home at roughly 3 a.m. the home was "fully involved," fire chief Jason Brolund said in a release. Some of the 21 firefighters entered the home to look for people and pets inside while the rest of the crew attacked the fire from the outside. 

The injured firefighter fell through the floor of the home into the basement and was able to rescue himself, Brolund said. He was taken to hospital for treatment of a knee and back injury. He's at home recovering.

Five people were displaced by the fire and in the hands of Emergency Social Services. One pet was found but two others died. 

The cause of the accidental fire was from cooking on the lower level of the home.

— This story was updated at 1:51 p.m. Thursday, March 4, 2021 with new information from the fire chief.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Marshall Jones or call 250-718-2724 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.