Members of the Kaleden and Okanagan Falls Volunteer Fire Departments fought a structure fire at 135 Saddlehorn Drive on Thursday morning.
Kaleden Fire Department responded to the original call which was dispatched around 11:15 Wednesday night. Firefighters arrived on scene to find a log house fully engulfed, with spot fires spreading to the surrounding wooded area.
Kaleden also called in mutual aid, requesting Okanagan Falls and forestry for assistance.. Water tenders from both fire departments were utilized to bring water to the scene from St Andrews, about a kilometre south of Saddlehorn Drive. A small crew of Okanagan Falls firefighters were also stationed at Keremeos firehall during the fire.
Showers of sparks, shooting 70-80 feet in the air set nearby bush on fire. Fortunately for the firefighters, the night was calm.
“We were very lucky,” said Kaleden Fire Chief Darlene Bailey.
“There certainly was potential for this to have been a major interface fire, had other weather conditions prevailed.”
Kaleden and Okanagan Falls firefighters battled the structure through the night while forestry firefighters put out hot spots surrounding the building in addition to constructing a fireguard. Approximately 20 firefighters attended the incident.
The fire’s origins are as yet undetermined. It is believed two males were renting the building, which is owned by an Abbotsford resident. The whereabouts of the two renters have not yet been accounted for. Early reports from dispatch indicated the possibility that rounds of ammunition were exploding in the fire.
Kaleden firefighters remained on site early this morning. The scene was also attended by members of the RCMP and BC Ambulance.
