Penticton gas station targeted by suspected arsonist

PENTICTON – A Penticton man is scheduled to appear in court charged with arson in connection with an early morning fire at a Husky gas station.

Fire crews and police were called to the gas station on Fairview Road around 2:46 a.m., April 17.

They arrived to find a fire on the outside the building, which was quickly extinguished. Damage to the building was confined to the outside of the structure.

Police found a man on the roof of the gas station when they arrived on scene and arrested him.

The 38 year old Penticton resident was charged with one count of arson and subsequently released on a promise to appear.

Penticton firefighters also responded to a house fire on McCulloch Drive late yesterday morning.

An initial crew of eight firefighters arrived on scene at 11:37 a.m., April 16, to visible flame and heavy smoke in the interior of the two storey home, prompting a second and third alarm.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly, but the building suffered heavy smoke and heat damage nonetheless.

No one was inside the house at the time of the fire, as the building was undergoing renovations.

An investigation is underway although the fire’s cause is believed to be electrical in nature. 

No injuries were reported and the house was insured.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.