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Kelowna Fire Department

Empty Kelowna house badly damage by fire

KELOWNA – Fire crews put out a blaze in an unoccupied house in Rutland this morning and a fire investigator is looking for the cause. Kelowna firefighters were called to the fire at a house in the 200-block of Dougall Road North at about 6:30 a.m., Dec. 12. The first crew on the scene reported...

UPDATE: Traffic moving again after car crash on Highway 97 through Kelowna

KELOWNA – A serious car crash in Kelowna this morning had the westbound lanes on Highway 97 closed near the city’s downtown causing a traffic nightmare for drivers. RCMP say traffic was moving again through the intersection of Harvey Avenue and Abbott Street at about 11:30 a.m. today, Dec. 11, once the initial investigation was complete...

Kelowna kitchen fire quickly contained

KELOWNA - Residents were able to quickly put out a kitchen fire with the extinguisher they had on hand, but crews still needed to open up the walls when they arrived last night. The kitchen fire was called in around 7 p.m. yesterday, Dec. 9, and when crews arrived at the house in the 200...

Crews keep Kelowna storage shed fire from spreading

KELOWNA - A fire in a Kelowna industrial area was quickly knocked down before it could spread last night. Crews were called out to a structure fire in the 1000 block of Ethel Street near Weddell Place around 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, according to Platoon Capt. Eric Simpson. When they arrived they found a...

Makeshift homeless shelter in Kelowna catches fire, scorches building

KELOWNA – A candle in a makeshift homeless shelter is the likely cause of a fire that damaged a commercial building early this morning. At around 6:50 a.m., Nov. 30, as the temperature in Kelowna dropped below -6 Celsius, local firefighters were called to the temporary structure in an alley behind a commercial building on...

Space heater fire sends one to Kelowna hospital

KELOWNA - An early morning fire caused extensive smoke damage and sent one person to hospital yesterday. Kelowna Fire Department was called to a furnace fire in the 700-block of Coronation Avenue around 3 a.m., Nov. 18. When they arrived they found fire inside the entrance of a carriage house and were able to quickly...

Smoke visible from Kelowna is controlled burn, says fire department

KELOWNA – No need to call 911, the Kelowna Fire Department is well aware of the fire burning in the Little White area south of the city. Kelowna Fire Dispatch is getting all kinds of calls from concerned citizens to report the smoke coming from a controlled burn which can be seen from Kelowna, according...

City of Kelowna hedges bets against strong U.S. dollar

KELOWNA - Finance officials with the city will now use currency forecasts in advance of all big ticket purchases from the United States, hoping to avoid price swings that render budget estimates obsolete. “It’s certainly affecting us when buying products directly from the U.S. or if we are buying from a Canadian supplier who is...

Falling loonie costs Kelowna taxpayers extra $180,000 for new fire truck

KELOWNA - By last March, the sagging Canadian dollar had already cost Kelowna taxpayers an extra $130,000 for purchase of a new fire engine from the U.S. But the loonie has dropped further since and Kelowna Fire Department chief Jeff Carlisle is again asking Kelowna city council to top up the purchase price of the...

Investigators looking for cause of Kelowna house fire

KELOWNA – Two people escaped unharmed from a house fire in Kelowna last night. The Kelowna Fire Department was called to the house in the 600-block of McClure Road in the Mission at about 7:40 p.m., Oct. 23. Flames were coming out the roof when crews arrived, according a media release. “The fire was knocked...

Vandals torch cars, damage others in Glenmore

KELOWNA - Two vehicles on Yates Road in Glenmore were lit on fire by vandals early this morning and others were damaged, according to Kelowna Fire Department. Platoon Captain Scott Cronquist confirmed this morning, Oct. 15, the fires were deliberately set around 2:30 a.m.  "They are suspicious at this time," he says. When fire crews...

Kitchen fire evacuates Kelowna apartment building

KELOWNA – A kitchen fire, which started in the oven, forced the evacuation of an apartment building in downtown Kelowna yesterday afternoon. Kelowna Fire Department platoon Capt. Steve Wallick says crews were called to the building 18-unit building in the 700-block of Bernard Avenue, just east of Richter Street, at about 4:25 p.m., Oct. 11,...

Crews respond to Harvey Avenue roof fire

KELOWNA - A smouldering roof fire on a building under renovation was quickly extinguished last night. Crews were called to the 1500 block of Harvey Avenue around 9:20 p.m. yesterday, Oct. 8. Firefighters found the fire smouldering in the roof and were able to expose it and extinguish it. Platoon Capt. Tim Light says the...

Suspicious garage fire quickly doused by Kelowna Fire Department

KELOWNA - An early morning garage fire near Cameron Park in Kelowna caused has been deemed suspicious. The Kelowna Fire Department was called out shortly after 5 a.m. today, Oct. 6, to reports of a fire inside a detached garage. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire but not before there was some damage...

Residents and cat safe after laundry room fire in Kelowna

KELOWNA – A fire in the laundry room of a multi-family building in Kelowna last night left two residents and their cat looking for a place to stay. Fire crews were called to the home on Noble Court at about 6:30 p.m., Sept. 25, according to a media release from the Kelowna Fire Department. “Fire...

UPDATE: Auto recycling shop burns in East Kelowna

KELOWNA - A fire at Apple Valley Auto Recycling and Service in East Kelowna sent billowing smoke into the already hazy sky this morning. According to platoon captain Kelly Stephens three workers were removing a gas tank from a vehicle when the fire started at around 10 a.m. on Aug. 5. A neighbour reported hearing an...

Neighbour saves elderly couple from burning home

KELOWNA – Quick thinking by a neighbour may have saved the lives of an elderly couple when the attached garage on their home burst into flames Saturday night. Wayne Dorman says he called 911 when he saw black smoke rising from a house at 1690 Saucier Road in the lower Mission around 8:15 p.m., Aug....

Kelowna Fire Department rescues exhausted cops from Okanagan Lake

KELOWNA - A lake rescue took a dangerous turn last night when the drunken victim turned on a couple of Kelowna RCMP officers trying to save her. Exhausted by the struggle, the two cops had to hang onto a bouy in Okanagan Lake until rescued by the Fire Department’s marine unit. Police were called out...

Man in jail after starting a fire in a Kelowna law office

KELOWNA - Police don’t have a motive for why a man tried to start a fire inside a downtown law firm earlier today. RCMP media spokesman Const. Steve Holmes says the man entered the Pihl Law Corporation building at 1465 Ellis St. and started a fire in some clothing on the third floor at about...

UPDATE: Firefighters gaining ground on Huckleberry fire

KELOWNA - Fire fighters appear to be gaining control of a large fire near Heartland Ranch in Joe Rich. A release this morning says containment guards appear to be holding and the fire didn't grow much over night. It's still estimated at 80 hectares in size. Some 14 structural firefighters from Joe Rich Fire Rescue...

Kelowna firefighters sign seven-year labour agreement

KELOWNA - Firefighters and adminstrative staff with the Kelowna Fire Department will enjoy a series of raises after signing a new collective agreement with the City of Kelowna. Firefighters have been without a contract since the end of 2012 but on Monday, June 15 the local firefighters union and the City of Kelowna ratified an...

Home on Harvey lost to fire

KELOWNA - No one was hurt but fire has destroyed a home in the 700 block of Harvey Avenue overnight. Kelowna Fire Department Platoon Capt. Eric Simpson says crews were called out at 2:10 a.m. to find flames shooting out of the two-storey home. "Crews protected the exposures at the same time attacked the fire...

Fire in bark mulch prompts staff evacuation at Glenmore school

KELOWNA - A fire in a bark mulch pile a few feet away from L’Ecole Glenmore Elementary school this afternoon, just after the students had left for the day, still caused enough concern for staff to evacuate the building. “Staff here at the school had put it out before we got here,” incident commander Capt....

UPDATE: Crews deal quickly with Kelowna hedge fire

KELOWNA – Firefighters put out a hedge fire between two homes in Kelowna this morning. Kelowna Fire Rescue was called to the blaze in the cedar hedge along a chain link fence at 541 Harrop Ave. in Rutland at about 11:15 a.m., May 8. The flames spread to a deck at one of the homes....