Tarja McLean stood across the street and watched as fire crews doused a small fire, which started on the roof of her notary office Monday afternoon.
Next to her, in a truck, sat several boxes filled with files and clients’ personal information.
“The roofers were replacing the roof—they came in and told us that the roof was on fire and we had to get out,” said McLean.
McLean, her assistant and four clients were in the building at the time; everyone got out safely. She said they also managed to get the majority of important documents out of the office.
According to platoon captain Kelly Stephens, the roofers were doing torch on roofing when the blaze got away on them.
“They have a roll on product and, with propane torches, they heat the product onto the roof,” said Stephens.
He noted the roofer who accidentally started the fire had proper safety equipment with him.
“He had his extinguisher handy and he tried to get it right away, but it got away on him.”
Stephens added the fire could have been worse, considering the building’s proximity to the lake.
“Sometimes you get wind-driven fires that come off the lake, we’re always concerned about that aspect.
“Crews were on scene quick and we managed to (keep) damages to as little as possible.”
Total response included three fire engines, a command vehicle, a safety vehicle and a rescue truck.
A portion of Cedar Avenue was shut down for over an hour while the fire crews dealt with the blaze.
Damages are estimated to be around $10,000.
Both the roofer and the notary public had insurance.
wpaterson@kelownacapnews.com
