Kelowna: Fire damages duplex in Rutland
An early morning house fire saw a string of fire engines slip-sliding along icy Rutland streets to ensure a neighbourhood's safety.
At 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, Kelowna Fire Crews were called to a duplex in the 500 block of Bolotzky Court, a small cul-de-sac at the end of Filuk Court, two blocks from Ben Lee Park.
A command vehicle, rescue truck, three fire engines, and 15 firefighters rushed to the scene where heavy black smoke and flames could be seen lapping the building from the carport.
The residents had already escaped into a frigid morning, -10 Celsius on the thermometer, though two pet cats remained inside.
Firefighters fought their way into the building through the carport door, facing extreme heat and zero visibility, according to a release from Kelowna Fire Department platoon captain Henry Roelofs.
"They were quickly able to locate and extinguish the majority of the fire, and extinguished the remainder through a window at the rear of the building," he said.
The two cats perished in the fire and all 12 residents who live in the duplex will be staying in temporary shelters during this week before Christmas.
Thankfully, the smoke alarms in the building work, sparing all of the residents from injury.
The fire department is reminding all Kelowna residents to make sure their alarms are tested for this busy time of the year.
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