Two people are homeless after flames burned a Similkameen mobile home to the ground.
Just before 6 a.m. Friday, the Erris Volunteer Fire Department was called out to a structure fire at 2811 Princeton Summerland Road in a rural part of Princeton.
The remote location of the fire was outside the jurisdiction of Princeton and Hayes Creek.
While firefighters arrived on the scene quickly, it has very little equipment and there was little they could do to fight the flames.
“I see a fully involved mobile home,” said Fire Chief Rick Boehm. “It was at a point of no return, even had fire equipment been on scene. We are not in a firefighting capacity right now. We have no structure to house any equipment at this time.”
While the newly formed Erris Fire Department has a donated fire truck, it does not have a building to keep it in, meaning the department is not fully functioning yet.
A piece of land has been secured for a future fire hall but until it is built, what exactly can the volunteer fire department provide?
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“Basically moral support. Safety for the public. Provide a safety net for everybody to get back and advise utilities accordingly. Contact the RCMP,” Boehm said.
Two people were inside the mobile home but got out unharmed.
The mobile home is a total loss and Boehm says the fire does not look suspicious at this time.
An investigation will soon be underway into the blaze and though unfortunate, Boehm hopes it sends the message more funding is needed to get his fire department off the ground.
“I think this is going to motivate a lot of people. When it gets calm and there is no big issue, there is never a concern until something bad happens,” he said.
With community donations and grants, the fire departments hope to be fully functioning by this summer.
Here is a map showing recent mobile home fires in the Okanagan:
View Mobile home fires in the Okanagan in a larger map
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