KELOWNA – One man is in hospital after a suspicious fire at the Sutherland Manor Apartments in Kelowna Tuesday morning.
RCMP Corporal Steve Woodcox says an officer was doing a well-being check on a resident when he saw smoke coming from one of the units and summoned the fire department.
“The smoke was coming from the apartment of the individual we were going to check on. That individual has since been apprehended under the Mental Health Act and has been taken to Kelowna General Hospital,” says Woodcox.
Fire Department Platoon Captain, Eric Simpson, says when crews approached the second floor unit there were sparks and flames coming from underneath the front door and smoke coming from above.
The door was unlocked so crews were able to remove the resident and quickly put the fire out.
Simpson says the fire is suspicious adding it’s fortunate the building’s alarm system was working and most people evacuated.
“A few people were still left in the building so we’d just like to make people aware when you hear the alarm, please evacuate. We had a team go door to door and we still had several residents in the building.”
One of the residents, Alexandra Tremblay, says she was having breakfast at around 10 a.m. when she smelled smoke coming from a nearby unit.
“I heard the fire alarm and I came downstairs quickly to see if it was real and to see if people were gathering and they were so I came out,” says Tremblay.
Residents were moved to the apartment building next door until they could re-enter their building.
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