Two homes were destroyed and two families, and a pet, are homeless after fire ripped through a residential area in the northeast part of Penticton on Wednesday.
Chris Forster, deputy chief for the Penticton Fire Department, said no people or pets were injured in the fire that started in a garage at 127 Acacia Cres. around 2:45 p.m. The fire quickly spread to a second house before fire crews could arrive.
“Everyone was safe, which is the best outcome,” he said Thursday morning.
Related: Neighbouring houses going up in flames
Forster said Emergency Social Services was contacted for the families, but both found friends or family to stay with.
Forster said both homeowners had insurance.
About 30 firefighters worked what Forster described as a “defensive fire right off the bat.”
“It is still under investigation. But we know it did start in a garage attached to one of the houses and there were hedges right beside that fuelled the fire and then of course the siding caught on the second house,” he said.
The roofs of both houses collapsed making the homes uninhabitable.
Crews worked for more than three hours to extinguish the blaze.
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