Police investigating suspicious bush fire in Kelowna

RCMP have been called to investigate a suspicious bush fire in Kelowna last night.

Firefighters responded after smoke was spotted in the June Springs Road area of East Kelowna at around 6:15 p.m. yesterday, April 6, according to a Kelowna Fire Department media release. A 50 by 50 metre Rank 3 bush fire was found about a kilometres up the Myra Canyon Forest Service Road.

Crews quickly put it out but not before the flames climbed several trees.

Because the fire is considered suspicious, RCMP have been called to investigate.

Another call came in at about 8 p.m. about a fire in a strip mall in the 2700 block of Highway 97 North.

Fire crews arrived to find heavy smoke in the business's warehouse and a fire burning in pallets and wood racking material behind the building.

Platoon Capt. John Kelly said in the release that the fire was caused by some rags that had been used for staining wood and self-ignited. It was confined to the pallets and racking material, and there was no structural damage.


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Rob Munro

Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics