UPDATE: West Kelowna house explosion claims life

One person is dead and two people were airlifted to Vancouver for serious burns following an explosion that levelled a West Kelowna home on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, RCMP said there were four people inside the Elliot Road home when the explosion occurred.

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“At the time of the fire, there were four people inside the residence who were transported to hospital for treatment.” said Cpl. Meghan Foster of the West Kelowna RCMP. “Sadly, one person has died, having succumbed to his injuries in hospital, two have been deemed critical, and a fourth person has been released with minor injuries.”

RCMP did not release the identity of the person who died.

The two residents who were airlifted to hospital in Vancouver were Chiara Boehlke and Aleck Villeneuve, according to Chiara’s sister, Jordan Boehlke. Both are in their 20s, said Jordan.

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Aleck Villeneuve was airlifted on Wednesday, while Chiara Boehlke was airlifted this morning. The other two people were ambulanced to Kelowna General Hospital.

Watch Below: One person is dead and another two people are in hospital following a house explosion in West Kelowna. The explosion happened late last night on Elliott road — in rural part of the city — and could be heard and felt from several kilometres away. As Kelly Hayes reports, investigators are now saddled with trying to find the source of the explosion but admit it’s going to take some time.

1:48 Fatal West Kelowna house explosion

On Thursday morning, one of the two people sent to KGH returned to the now-levelled home. She said all four people were inside the house when the explosion occurred and that there was no warning prior to the explosion. She said the whole top floor caved in, and that one of the males was trapped below.

According to the landlord, the couple had rented the house since 2015.

West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said “on arrival, crews from the Westbank fire station found a fully involved structure fire and multiple occupants with serious injuries. Multiple patients were transported from the scene by the B.C. Ambulance Service. There are no further details on their condition at this time.”

He said fire crews were forced to fight the fire from the outside of the building due to structural damage and the risk of further explosions. Brolund said an excavator was requested to the scene to assist with extinguishing the fire.

The landlord said there was natural gas to the home, but had no idea as to what caused the explosion.

RCMP and the police department say they are working to determine the cause of the fire, and that investigators will be on scene for the next few days to collect evidence.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Chiara Boehlke and Aleck Villeneuve.