Fire damages home, claims life of pet

Damage is expected to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars after a house fire in West Kelowna Sunday.

West Kelowna Fire Rescue (WKFR) responded to a fire in a single-family home in the Klein Road area of West Kelowna Estates at 3:30 p.m..

Heavy, black smoke was visible to responding units, and the fire was immediately upgraded to a second alarm.

“On arrival, crews found the back of the home heavily involved, with fire spread into the attic space. Several hose lines were deployed to protect exposures and to quickly extinguish the fire. The fire was successfully contained to half of the house, although the rest of the home was heavily smoke-damaged,” said fire chief Jason Brolund.

Two pets were rescued from the home, and were given first aid by firefighters, including oxygen through a specially designed animal face mask. At least one other pet did not survive the fire.

“The cause of the fire was accidental, and the home owner has insurance. Damage is estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The home owners will spend the next few days in the care of Emergency Support Services (ESS),” said Brolund.

Residents are reminded to check and test their smoke alarms regularly, and to use caution when operating wood-burning stoves.

WKFR responded with five engines, two safeties and one command unit. BC Ambulance, RCMP, Fortis, City Utilities and ESS were also in attendance.