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Green Bay Road structure fire deemed 'suspicious'

The West Kelowna file has been turned over to the RCMP for further investigation.

Update:

West Kelowna Fire Rescue issued a statement at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday May 4, that it had concluded its investigation and deemed the April 30 Green Bay Road structure fire to be suspicious.

"The file has been turned over to the RCMP for further investigation and any further comment will come via the RCMP," WKFR fire chief Jason Brolund said in the statement.

The initial report of that fire, submitted in a press release from WKFR assistant fire chief Darren Lee,  is documented below.

•••••

At approximately 9:50 p.m. Saturday April 30, West Kelowna Fire Rescue responded to a report of a fire in a dormitory on Green Bay Road.

When the first crew arrived, they found a fire confined to the lounge area on the second floor of a two storey dormitory. The initial arriving crews were able to successfully stretch attack lines through the courtyard and advance into the building. The lounge area of the upper floor was fully charged with smoke. The fire was burning against an interior wall and it had spread into the wall and attic space. WKFR crews were able to knock down the main body of fire with an offensive interior fire attack and pull the drywall from the wall and ceilings to expose and extinguish the extended fire. Once the fire was under control, crews worked to protect the attached units from fire, smoke and water damage.

A total of four engines, and two command vehicles initially attended the incident. One Ladder Truck and one additional engine were brought in to perform fire watch and help the resort's guests secure their personal belongings. WKFR responded with a total of 25 personnel who were supported by West Kelowna RCMP, BC Ambulance, BC Hydro and Fortis Gas.

There were guests and staff in and around the building at the time of the fire. In this case; WKFR would like to recognize the quick action taken by staff and guests that helped to confine the fire. When the fire was discovered; one or more individuals quickly closed the doors to the lounge while they were evacuating the building. This simple act confined the fire and protected other evacuating occupants. Closing the doors to the lounge also prevented the rapidly growing fire from receiving the oxygen it needed to spread throughout the dormitory.

The following is a link to a PSA that the Fire Department of New York has been running the past several years. It serves to remind the public of the importance of closing doors (if safe to do so) while exiting a burning room or building.

https://youtu.be/1PNSapiTshI

A fire watch crew will remain on scene through the night monitoring for hot spots. Fire investigators will attend the scene in the morning to complete their fire cause and origin investigation. No injuries were reported at the time of the incident.