Lakeside home destroyed by fire

PEACHLAND – By the time fire crews arrived, a large timber frame home in Peachland was an inferno that could be seen for miles on Okanagan Lake.

Peachland Fire Rescue firefighters got the call at 4:49 a.m. Monday with the first truck arriving about 10 minutes later.

The fire was raging and assistant fire chief James Springer says by then their only option was a defensive attack. They just wanted to ensure it didn't spread.

"We weren’t going into that house," he says.

Water supply quickly became an issue. The home, built on the hillside on Brent Road near Antlers Beach, is at the top of a long, winding driving and is difficult to access.

The fire hydrants were too far away, so firefighters used water tenders and portable 1,500 gallon bladders to fight the blaze.

The light, northerly wind spread the flames to the long, dry grass surrounding the house.

Firebrands carried by the breeze to a neighbouring home set its cedar-shake roof on fire but it was put out quickly with only minor damage.

No one was hurt. The owner of the house is out of the country, according to Springer.

The fire department’s investigator is looking for the cause of the fire.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.