UPDATE: Westwold house destroyed by fire

A Westwold house located along Highway 97 has been completely destroyed following a fire that sparked earlier today.

Falkland fire chief Troy Ricard said a single home was lost in the fire, which sparked around 4:30 p.m., Aug. 20.

"Normally Falkland would not respond to the Westwold area but because of the high risk of exposure to other homes and to grasslands we were asked to attend the fire," he said.

Westwold does not have its own fire department, he said. "As far as structure fires, they have no protection out there."

The cause is believed to accidental and neighbours reported it started in the attic of the home, Ricard said.

A dog was reported missing, but Ricard couldn't confirm if it was found.

The fire department was originally called in by the B.C. Wildfire Service, he said. Service members were in the area this afternoon, but wildfire information officer Shaylee Stearns said they were not responding to the fire.

Four trucks and seven firefighters attended to the fire and were on scene for roughly four hours.

Part of Highway 97 was temporarily closed due to the fire but it has since reopened, he said.

– This story was updated at 8:30 p.m. to include details on the fire.

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