An industrial fire in the Stewart Road area of Kelowna that broke out around 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning is being called suspicious.
When crews arrived on scene, a trailer at an open pit mine was fully engulfed.
“When our first unit arrived, it was found to be the power plant for the crushing system in the pit that was fully involved,” Platoon Capt. Tim Light said.
A UTV that was parked behind the trailer was also completely destroyed. There was oxyacetylene equipment in the UTV.
The pit owner told firefighters the UTV is not connected to the pit.
The diesel fuel inside the trailer, as well as several exploding propane tanks, made for a tough fire fight.
“When the propane tanks vented, it was pretty colourful,” Light said. “The fire activity became very aggressive. The fellows that were here had to back off a bit.”
RCMP were also called to the scene, and a joint investigation between the fire department and police has begun.