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Fire
Concern arises over rash of suspicious Vernon grass fires
VERNON - A pattern of suspicious brush fires in Vernon has the fire department on edge as the region heads into scorching temperatures this week. Since June 11, crews responded to four grass fires in the city, two in Becker Park June 11 and June 12, one in Jubilee Park June 22, and the fourth on...
No fireworks and possibly no campfires allowed this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Without a significant amount of rainfall Tuesday night, the Southern Interior could see a fire danger rating of ‘extreme’ by the start of the weekend. And that could mean no campfires on the weekend before Canada Day. Kelsey Winter of B.C. Wildfire says the fire danger rating in the Kamloops Fire Centre, which...
Cisco Road wildfire evacuation alert rescinded
LYTTON – The Regional District Emergency Operations Centre has rescinded the evacuation alert for roughly 60 properties near the Cisco Road wildfire near Lytton. The alert was issued at 9 p.m. June 11 for the west side of the Fraser River from the intersection of Lytton Ferry Rd. and South Spencer Rd., south to the...
Man and kids escape fire in Vernon garage
VERNON - A blaze that lit up the night sky over Swan Lake in Vernon Sunday night destroyed a garage and threatened a home on Old Kamloops Road. Firefighters were called out about 9 p.m. Sunday, June 22, BX-Swan Lake Fire Chief Bill Wacey says. A garage was destroyed in the fire, and an adjacent...
Dallas grass fire quickly contained
KAMLOOPS - The quick thinking of a nearby homeowner kept a small fire near Highway 1 in Dallas from getting out of hand this afternoon. Fire crews were called out to a grass fire near Pat Road and Highway 1 just before 2:30 p.m, June 11. Capt. Darryl Cooper with Kamloops Fire Rescue says a...
Firefighters battling house fire in Ashcroft neighbourhood
ASHCROFT - Firefighters are currently battling a house fire on Mesa Vista Drive in Ashcroft. Members of the Ashcroft Fire Department are on scene with three fire trucks along with RCMP officers and paramedics, according to witnesses. Details have not been confirmed by members of the fire hall. We will have more information as it...
No fire hydrants to fight Kamloops trailer park fire
KAMLOOPS - After a fire ripped through a double-wide trailer at the Iron Mask Mobile Home Park earlier this week the local fire chief has confirmed private hydrants on the property were lacking water flow. “Our thoughts from all of the staff at Kamloops Fire Rescue go out to the family who suffered from this...
Quick action by Penticton firefighters following lightning strike
PENTICTON - Penticton firefighters responded to a couple of structure fires over the weekend, starting with a lightning strike Friday afternoon which caused some anxious moments for residents of Huth Avenue. Deputy Fire Chief Dave Spalding says lightning hit a tree and ignited a garden shed situated just below at about 2:30 p.m. during the...
Home on Harvey lost to fire
KELOWNA - No one was hurt but fire has destroyed a home in the 700 block of Harvey Avenue overnight. Kelowna Fire Department Platoon Capt. Eric Simpson says crews were called out at 2:10 a.m. to find flames shooting out of the two-storey home. "Crews protected the exposures at the same time attacked the fire...
Authorities investigate fire at Vernon bank
VERNON - Police and the fire department are investigating a suspicious blaze that scorched the outside of a downtown Vernon bank Monday night. Deputy Fire Chief Jack Blair says the fire started in a garbage container at the rear of CIBC on 30 Avenue around 9:30 p.m., May 4. “The fire caused extensive fire damage...
Garbage can fire forces evacuation of Kelowna recreation centre
KELOWNA - A garbage can burning in a washroom led to the evacuation of Parkinson Recreation Centre Monday evening. Platoon Capt. Steve Wallick says Kelowna Fire Department was called around 6:45 p.m., Monday, April 27, to alarm bells ringing and report of a fire, which burned in a garbage can in one of the washrooms...
VIDEO: Car on fire halts highway traffic near Armstrong
ARMSTRONG - A vehicle on fire in the middle of Highway 97 A near Armstrong tied up traffic for about an hour Wednesday afternoon. The Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Department was dispatched to the scene, just north of Eagle Rock Road, about 1:30 p.m. April 22. Fire chief Ian Cummings says a Volkswagen was completely engulfed...
Horse racing scrapped again; Vernon’s Kin Race Track in legal limbo
VERNON - It will be another quiet summer at Vernon’s historic horse racing track as plans for its future remain mired in uncertainty. Arson gutted Kin Race Track’s grandstands last summer, and without them the Okanagan Equestrian Society’s president says no events can be held. “Everything runs out of the grandstand,” Robert White says. The...
Tall flame at Vernon landfill just standard procedure
VERNON - You might notice a tall flame coming from the Vernon landfill as you drive by, but rest assured, it’s just routine gas flaring. The Regional District of North Okanagan recently constructed a new landfill gas management system at the dump on Birnie Road. In accordance with the B.C. Landfill Gas Management Regulation, the...
What Vernon firefighters hope you do differently to prevent another tragedy
VERNON - Conditions at a fire scene this week gave crews flashbacks to conditions that killed an Enderby firefighter several years ago, and the Vernon Fire Department is now issuing a public warning in the hopes of preventing another tragedy. Crews responded to a dumpster fire around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, on 14 Avenue,...
Fire crews knock down fire in Glenmore
KELOWNA - Firefighters are on the scene of a house fire on Cosens Court in Glenmore this afternoon. It was originally called in as a garage fire at 284 Cosens Court but the home itself was involved by the time fire crews arrived. According to Platoon Captain Steve Wallick, the fire started near the back...
UPDATE: Woman dies from burns; Coroner questions RCMP suicide statement
KAMLOOPS - A woman has died from injuries sustained from burns suffered in a city park early this morning, March 31 and the cause of the fire is now being questioned. Kamloops RCMP initially said the incident was a suicide, but B.C. Coroner's Service spokesperson Barb McLintock says it is too early to tell what...
Molotov cocktail chucked at Vernon church
VERNON - Police and the Fire Department are investigating after a molotov cocktail was thrown at the Vernon Family Church Monday night. Deputy Fire Chief Lawrie Skolrood says a nearby resident noticed a large flame around 7:30 p.m. outside the church, located on 25 Avenue, and phoned 911. “It’s very fortunate the building was stucco...
Watch out! Cars back on Knox Mountain road
KELOWNA - Another sign that spring is coming early — the road to the top of Knox Mountain Park has reopened to vehicles, a week ahead of last year. “We’re definitely a bit early this year,” says Blair Stewart, urban forestry supervisor with the City of Kelowna. While the upper portion remains closed to vehicles...
Quick action limits fire damage in Keremeos
PENTICTON - Keremeos and District Volunteer Fire Department’s quick action limited damage from a kitchen fire yesterday. The Keremeos department responded to a call to a structure fire at River Road and South Keremeos Road on March 12. The fire damaged a portion of the residence’s kitchen above the stove, spreading to the microwave, kitchen...
Police appeal for tips after fire engulfs Vernon house
VERNON - Mounties are appealing to the public for information after a Vernon house caught fire Monday night. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said a jogger noticed flames on 25 Avenue around 8:30 p.m. and called 911. Vernon RCMP, the BX-Swan Lake Fire Department, and Vernon Emergency Management Services responded to the blaze. The home was...
Early morning blaze in West Bench
PENTICTON - The quick response by Penticton firefighters limited damage to West Bench property this morning. Penticton firefighters responded to the report of a fire on Jonathan Drive at 4:36 a.m., Friday, March 6, Penticton Deputy Fire Chief Dave Spalding says they sent two engines with on shift crews, with extra staff called in. The...
Fire and vandalism draw authorities to Armstrong middle school
ARMSTRONG - A fire at Lenwood Middle School in Armstrong had 32 firefighters jumping out of bed at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. Initially reported as a structure fire, members feared the worst. But Armstrong-Spallumcheen Fire Chief Ian Cummings says it was just a small fire in a garbage can a few feet from the school. “There...
Why this controlled burn was needed in a West Kelowna park
KELOWNA - You might notice smoke coming from West Kelowna’s Kalamoir Regional Park today while crews conduct a controlled burn. Due to vandalism on some of the trees near the King Road entrance to the park, the Central Okanagan Regional District is burning wood debris that could pose a fire hazard. The regional district picked...