A late night fire in an empty home gave a Rose Valley neighbourhood an alarming start to the week.
At approximately 2 a.m. March 26 West Kelowna Fire Rescue responded to a report of a structure fire in the 1100 block of Peak Point Drive, in Rose Valley. Callers to 911 reported a large volume of fire venting from the front windows of the home.
When the first due Engine arrived they reported heavy fire and smoke showing from the front of single-storey residence with a walk out basement.
“Engine 32 provided an excellent initial size-up and action plan, that set the incident up for success. The crew from Engine 32 stretched a two and a half inch hose the front door and quickly knocked the fire down,” said Darren Lee, West Kelowna assistant fire chief, in a press release.
“Once the fire was knocked-down, the second due Engine (Engine 31 – Westbank) secured a water supply and stretched an additional one-and-three-quarter-inch hose to the interior of the home.”
Engine 31 extinguished remaining hot-spots, performed a primary search and checked for fire extension in the attic and walls.
The majority of fire damage was contained to the kitchen and great room, but smoke damage extended throughout the residence. No residents were home at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported for civilians and responders.
WKFR responded with a total of four engines, two command units for a total of 18 firefighters to the scene. Additional units were called to back-fill Westbank and Glenrosa during the incident. WKFR was supported by West Kelowna RCMP, BC Ambulance, BC Hydro and Fortis Gas.
The blaze is being treated as suspicious and an arson investigation has commenced.
The West Kelowna RCMP’s arson investigator and the Forensic Identification section is working alongside The West Kelowna Fire Department to determine the cause of the blaze. It does appear from the initial investigation that this was a targeted incident.