The fate of what is left of the Warren House in Penticton will be decided this week.
Three months after a massive fire tore through the heritage home, heaps of fire-damaged debris still remain on the property and cleanup hasn’t been attempted.
City Council will be discussing the future of the property on Tuesday. Staff are recommending several remedial actions including:
- To demolish the damaged structure;
- To remove all debris from the yards, which includes those trees damaged by the fire and the remnants of the structure to an appropriate disposal site; and
- Level the site.
According to the council agenda, the house has been deemed “unsightly and untidy as to be offensive to the community” and as a result has been declared a “nuisance that requires remedial action.”
Staff are also recommending that council set the time limit for completion of all the remedial actions to no later than 4:30 p.m. on July 11, 2022.
If the owners have not completed the remedial actions before these times, the city will take over the cleanup, and the costs of fixing the property will be charged to the owners.
The Warren House, which was operating as a bed and breakfast, was built in 1912. It is located on Penticton’s iconic Lakeshore Drive.
In early March, witnesses described hearing an explosion before the home burst into flames. No one was injured in the blaze and the cause of the fire is believed to be a gas explosion.
Comments