Councillor flees burning home

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning StarPublished: January 04, 2011 7:00 PM

A Coldstream politician has been forced out of his house by fire.  Coun. Gyula Kiss and his wife fled their residence — in the 12600 block of Kidston Road — just before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday after flames broke out in the carport and then spread into the roof of the main house.  “At least no one got hurt,” said Kiss when contacted.  Kiss is fully insured, but he is now waiting to talk to his insurance adjustor about the next steps.  “We need to find a place to stay while the house is repaired,” he said.  It’s believed Kiss’ wife first became aware of the blaze.  “She heard popping noises and saw flames in the carport,” said Leo Lecavalier, Coldstream’s fire chief.  One of Kiss’ dogs was able to get out of the house while firefighters found the other dog under the deck. The animal was uninjured. The carport and part of the roof were fully involved when firefighters arrived on scene.  “Apparently you could see it across Coldstream,” said Lecavalier.  The main goal was to keep the fire from spreading further into the rest of the house. The carport was completely consumed while there are large holes in the roof of the house. Smoke damage inside the house is considerable.  A vehicle in the carport was gutted, while the heat from the fire caused damage to another vehicle in an adjacent garage. “It’s fairly substantial,” said Bob Bibby, a fire investigator, of the impact of the blaze.  The cause of the fire was undetermined at press time, although it’s believed to have started in the carport. Lecavalier, who is retiring as fire chief, was pleased with the quick action of his crew. “They did an excellent job,” he said of the volunteer firefighters.