Firefighters in the north Okanagan spent much of the day Thursday at a stubborn house fire on Old Kamloops Road near Vernon. Frigid winter temperatures posed an additional challenge for firefighters trying to put out the hard to reach blaze.
Crews were called in around 7:15 am for a chimney fire. By the time the fire chief arrived on scene, the blaze had spread to the attic and the stubborn fire continued to burn in the roof of the home for hours.
By early afternoon, the roof had collapsed in on itself.
The BX-Swan Lake Fire Department called in an excavator to remove the roof the home so they could get at the flames.
“I couldn’t send anybody in [the house] because the building was too compromised by this time.”
Wacey estimates they finally had the fire extinguished by 3:00 p.m.
Crews from three fire departments responded to the blaze.
Three people homeless
Michael Mortenson was at home when the fire started. With the help of neighbours, he and his roommate, he scrambled to get as many of his belongings to safety after the attic of his rental home caught fire.
“It has been a pretty hectic morning,” said Mortenson.
Emergency Social Services is putting the three displaced residents up for a few nights. However, Mortenson and his two roommates are now looking for new places to live.
“We are going to need a place to stay. We’ve got nowhere to go right now,” said Mortenson.
Watch Below: At the scene of the fire Thursday morning, BX-Swan Lake fire chief Bill Wacey describes what it’s like to fight a fire in freezing temperatures.
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