The blaze that spread at the Penticton Speedway on Saturday caused very little monetary damage to the property, confirmed owner Johnny Aantjes.
“We lost a couple of vehicles used for our destruction event and about 250 to 350 tires,” he said on Tuesday. “Work was being done in a storage area where it shouldn’t have been done.”
READ ALSO: UPDATE: Tire pile and campers ablaze at Penticton Speedway
The fire started on the afternoon of May 4 when work was being done on a camper for an upcoming destruction event. It caught fire, spreading to another vehicle and a large pile of tires.
Crews responded quickly and no other reports of damage or injuries were made. The Sunday events at the Speedway went ahead without delay, he said.
READ ALSO: Photos: Camper and tire fire at Penticton Speedway
“It goes to show that everybody has to be prepared for a dry summer because fires can spread really quickly,” said Aantjes.
Had it happened earlier in the week when the speedway had more than 1,000 tires on the property, the fire could have been much bigger, he said.
Aantjes thanked his neighbours who offered to help and the Penticton Fire Department who arrived promptly on the scene.
READ ALSO: Real-world experience in interface firefighting in the Okanagan
The fire created a giant plume of black smoke causing people to think it was caused by the Wildland Urban Interface Wildfire Training Symposium happening the same day, said Penticton fire chief Larry Watkinson.
“Everybody thought that was just us training,” he said. “I was getting phone calls from city officials and media saying, ‘Hey, what are you doing up there, it looks terrible.'”
