WATCH: Suspicious fire could have led to tragedy

A Kelowna man and his girlfriend are still a little shaken up after a fire that erupted a little too close to home.

Colin Polak lives above the Valley Pawn shop in Kelowna’s Rutland area.

At around 5am on Thursday a fire broke out behind the pawn shop.

It started in a carton box full of recycled material.

Polak and his girlfriend were sleeping at the time.

Fortunately a neighbor spotted the fire before it got out of control and called for help. Polak says that call could have saved his life as well as his girlfriends.

“It just goes to show how you could be sleeping and how next thing you know your place could be on fire and that could be it,” says Polak.

The fire has been deemed suspicious and the investigation has now been turned over to the RCMP.

RCMP spokesperson Cst. Kris Clark says police are speaking to area residents and businesses as part of the investigation and that includes reviewing any surveillance video that could reveal who was in the area at the time

“We are looking at surveillance canvass so it’s not just that particular business but of the surrounding area,” says Clark.

Anyone with information is asked to call RCMP.