Two homeless after Penticton house fire

Two people have been displaced following a residential fire in Penticton, B.C., on Wednesday evening.

The fire broke out in the basement of a single-family home at 548 Alexander Ave. at approximately 9:20 p.m.

“Smoke could be seen coming from the back end of the house,” said an email from Larry Watkinson, Penticton fire chief.

“A 360 of the building showed heavy smoke coming from small windows on the basement level as well as from a door,” he said.

Firefighters broke a window on the basement door to access the flames and doused it with their hoses before checking for hot spots.

“A second check of the basement found no extension and that the fire was out,” Watkinson said.

The scene was turned over to Penticton Security.

The two displaced residents are in the care of Emergency Support Services (ESS).

Watkinson said the home is badly damaged by smoke and fire. No one was injured.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.