Suspicious fire destroys home

CASTANET: Rachael Kimola - Jan 19, 2009
A suspicious fire destroyed a house in the North Okanagan over the weekend. Fire fighters from the BX Fire Department responded to the call of a structure fire in the 6700 block of Old Kamloops Road just after 4 p.m. Saturday. Fire Chief Bill Wacey says when he arrived on scene, the fire was fully engulfed and the home’s roof was collapsing into itself. “It was a very stubborn fire to fight. We had some accessibility issues because the driveway hadn’t been cleared of snow, so we had to bring our hoses up over the back bank. Plus the fire had spread to the floor jousts, so we couldn’t fight it on the inside, all the fighting of the flames had to be done from the outside,” says Wacey. He says the home, which was undergoing renovations, was totally destroyed. “Luckily, since it was being renovated, no one was home at the time of the fire. We believe it started in the living room and the cause is suspicious.” The fire is being investigated by Vernon RCMP.