Mostly rubble left following huge fire at Kelowna business complex

One end of the main buildings at Kelowna’s Blue Heights Business Complex was still standing at noon today, but an excavator was slowly sifting through the debris that makes up most of the building.

Up to six businesses were destroyed in the blaze that started around 2 a.m. yesterday, Feb. 15, and some people had to flee the flames.

Kelowna fire department officials confirmed that those people were at the Beach Bunnies business. On its website, Beach Bunnies identifies itself as "Kelowna’s very best escort agency" and boasts a men’s spa in its 5,000 square foot space.

They declined to comment when contacted by iNFOnews.ca.

READ MORE: Fire destroys several business on Highway 97 in Kelowna

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Another tenant was Innerspace Watersports and its website says it has served the Okanagan since 1982 with equipment ranging from diving, snorkelling and paddle boarding to kayaking and snowbiking. They also have an outlet in Vernon, and they also did not want to comment on the fire.

Some of the other businesses at that address have since relocated or did not answer their phones. There are no identifying signs left on the building to show who was located there.

The owner of the business complex, Carlyle Holdings, also declined to comment on the fire.

The three or four other buildings that make up the Blue Heights complex were not damaged by the fire. The Lexus dealership at the south end had debris that flooded into its parking lot that will take a few days to clean up.

Kelowna Fire Department has yet to determine the cause of the fire.

The Ministry of Environment air quality advisory that was issued because of the fire ended earlier today.

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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