A vacant building across from Orchard Park Mall was damaged by fire on Tuesday morning.
The building, located at Dilworth Drive and Baron Road, used to be the home of School District 23 offices, but had been sold to a developer in recent years.
The fire appears to have started in junipers surrounding the one-storey building. Flames travelled into the soffits and extended into the roof before Kelowna firefighters extinguished the flames.
The vacant building is patrolled by security, but is often frequented the homeless.
Kelowna Fire Department platoon captain Shayne Kiehlbauch said when crews arrived on scene, smoke and flames could be seen in bushes against the building, with flames extending into the soffits.
He said crews “knocked down the fire pretty quickly, which stopped it from getting inside the building.”
The fire department said while the blaze was contained to the building’s exterior, there was some smoke and water damage to the interior.
The cause is unknown, though the fire department said it will be investigating the incident.
The fire department added there were no injuries and that 20 personnel were on scene.
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