West Kelowna fire crews battle, extinguish suspicious grass fire

West Kelowna firefighters were called to a grass fire on Friday.

The blaze, which began just before noon, was quickly extinguished, with 16 members from West Kelowna Fire Rescue (WKFR) on scene.

The fire happened in an empty lot between Walmart and a nearby campground, and is described as being suspicious.

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WKFR Fire Chief Jason Brolund said they were alerted of the rapidly spreading fire at 11:39 a.m. and issued a full alarm.

“The first arriving firefighters found a fire that was quickly spreading in dry grass and trees uphill towards homes,” Brolund said.

“Their primary objective was to stop the fire before it reached the residences. Firefighters were successful in halting the advance of the fire. No homes were damaged and no injuries resulted.”

2:17 Evidence of an accelerant found at church fire scene in South Okanagan.

The fire chief said crews worked hard under very demanding and hot weather conditions.

Brolund called the fire suspicious, adding it was likely human-caused and that police are also investigating.

“With the onset of extremely hot weather, our fire danger rating is increasing,” said Brolund. “We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unexpected fire or smoke sighted.”