Early morning blaze at Rutland Health Centre deemed suspicious

Fire crews in Kelowna, B.C., rushed to the 100 block of Gray Road around 6:30 Sunday morning, after a fire broke out at the Rutland Health Centre.

Kelowna Fire Department Capt. Mike Brownlee says the fire, which is believed to have started on the outside of the building, has been deemed suspicious.

“There was no source of ignition out here, so we don’t know exactly how it started, and we don’t have a person that was on camera, but RCMP are investigating,” said Brownlee.

Brownlee added that while damage to the building’s exterior was minimal, the basement sustained extensive damage.

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“There’s a lot of extensive damage down there. IH (Interior Health), I’ve talked with them, and they have a lot of supplies down there, so it got into that,” said Brownlee.

“A lot of water damage downstairs and heavy smoke damage to the upstairs of the structure.”

No one was injured as a result of the fire, meanwhile Brownlee added IH will likely be displaced from the building for up to a week.

The Kelowna Fire Department responded to the blaze with three units, a rescue, and a platoon captain vehicle.