Kelowna Fire Department extinguishes 2 fires in 2-hour span on Tuesday evening

Kelowna Fire Department crews extinguished two separate blazes within two hours of each other on Tuesday evening.

The first fire happened around 6:15 p.m., and actually involved two calls of smoke sightings. The first was the June Springs Road area, with the second in the area of Gallagher Road South and Mantle Court.

The fire department said units were dispatched to both locations, with nothing being found at Mantle Court. However, a bush fire was found between those two locations, approximately three-quarters of a kilometre up the Myra Canyon Forest Service Road.

The rank-three fire measured 15 by 15 metres (50 by 50 feet) and had climbed several trees before being extinguished. The fire has been deemed suspicious.

Two fire engines, two bush trucks and 15 personnel were on scene.

Later, around 8 p.m., crews rushed to extinguish a minor fire in a strip mall along the 2700 block of Highway 97 North.

2:41 Building under construction in Kelowna goes up in flames

The fire department said some rags that were being used for staining wood had self-ignited, sparking the fire in the strip mall’s warehouse portion.

The fire damage was limited to some pallets and racking material, with no structural damage to the building.

In all, three fire engines and 14 firefighters responded to the incident.