Fire
A mother and daughter managed to escape unharmed after a fire broke out at their townhome.
Firefighters remain on scene at the blaze inside one of the units of the Blue Skies Co-Op on Bella Vista Road.
“We had a report of smoke in a residence,” said Vernon Fire Rescue Services deputy chief Scott Hemstad, “The occupant evacuated with her daughter safely.”
Upon arrival, firefighters saw smoke billowing from the roof of the multiple-housing complex
“Flames and smoke were coming from the first floor and outside and into the attic space,” said Hemstad, as crews worked to contain the damage to the initial unit, but there was smoke damage to the attic space of a neighbour.
None of the occupants were injured but the the mother and daughter will be without a home for some time.
‘They are going to be out for a while, their unit suffered extensive damage,” said Hemstad.
The investigation is underway into the cause of the blaze.
Sarah McAuley lives in the unit behind the one that on fire and was in her kitchen when she spotted black smoke.
“I thought, what is that, it’s not barbecue season, so I went outside and started knocking on doors,” said McAuley.
According to another resident of the complex, Sue Grandy, the co-op just had all the windows and doors replaced in August and the roof replaced in the spring.
Check back for updates as they become available.
