A residence near the historic Red Bridge in Keremeos burned down this morning.
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The Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department responded after calls came in around 6 a.m., but by the time they arrived it was too late.
“It was clear that the fire had been burning for a while before it was reported,” said fire chief Jordy Bosscha. “Flames were venting through the roof, and the roof collapsed shortly after.”
The extent of the blaze, with the roof and back of the building already collapsed, left the department with little options other than to wait it out. Despite the size of the fire, the volunteer firefighters were back at the station by 9:30.
“Usually a big fire like that takes hours to work and put out,” said Bosscha. “But there wasn’t much for the excavator to knock down the rest and put the rest of it out.”
According to Bosscha, the home is a rental property and was empty at the time the fire started. The home is located in the middle of an orchard area along River Road, and no other homes were at risk from the fire.
The cause of the blaze is currently under investigation.
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