house

Charges laid against man who barricaded himself in Shuswap home, lit it on fire

SALMON ARM - A man accused of barricading himself inside a home and lighting it on fire during a bizarre episode in the Shuswap is facing criminal charges. Adolf Albert Edward Hemmerling, in his 40s, is charged with uttering threats and arson damaging property, in relation to the Dec. 20, 2015 incident. Hemmerling allegedly barricaded...

Friends determined to finish house for Vernon dad sidelined by cancer

VERNON - Efforts are underway to ensure that when a Vernon man returns from cancer treatment in Vancouver he’ll be coming home to a finished house. Homer Alexis started feeling ill about a month ago, but chalked the symptoms up to the flu. When he didn’t get better, his wife Denise drove him to Vernon...

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...

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...

RCMP see surge in thefts due to residents’ negligence

KELOWNA – Calling it a “crime of opportunity” Mounties are advising Kelowna residents to keep doors and windows locked when leaving home; thieves are taking advantage of those who fail to do so.  Unlocked doors and open windows have led to a surge of break-and-enter cases in the city, with officers noting most offenses in...

Skydiver lost consciousness mid-air before crashing onto house

VERNON - The victim of Monday’s skydiving accident was on his first solo ride when he lost consciousness, says the owner of Okanagan Skydive. Bret Chalmers says the 50-year-old skydiving student started his ride by jumping from a plane at around 3,500 feet. It was what Chalmers calls a normal opening, nothing out of the...

Cougar discovered inside a home, chewing on a dog toy

VERNON - It wasn’t a 911 call anyone would ever expect to make. “There’s a cougar in my house chewing on a squeaky toy,” says a Westside Road resident who asked to be referred to only by her first name, Verena. “The police initially thought I might be hallucinating.” Verena, 53, just returned home from...

Neighbour fights fire with a garden hose

WEST KELOWNA – A fire that started in a planter and spread to the siding of a home in West Kelowna was kept under control by a quick-thinking neighbour with a garden hose. Shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday an area resident reported black smoke coming from a home on Ensign Way. West Kelowna Fire Rescue Assistant...

Early morning house fire made worse by lack of smoke alarm

KELOWNA – A house fire on Badke Road early Thursday morning might have been snuffed earlier if the residents had a working smoke alarm. Platoon Captain Laurie Serres says 15 firefighters were called to a minor house fire at 2:51 a.m. after residents noticed the sounds and smell of fire coming from the attic. “There...

Vernon fire chief defends drafting bystanders to help fight blaze

VERNON – Vernon Fire Chief Keith Green is defending not only allocation of resources in a recent fire caught on video, but also the Vernon Professional Fire Fighters Association's right to draw the public’s attention to it. On Saturday, May 3, Vernon Fire Rescue was called to a house fire at 2809 35 St. A...

Elderly driver falls asleep, hits house

KELOWNA - An elderly man was taken to hospital Wednesday after he drove his car through a fence and into a house off Lakeshore Drive. Kaylee Sanborn lives in the home at 674 Armour Crescent and says she was just getting back from picking her daughter up from school when she saw a black Lincoln...