UPDATE: Heritage building destroyed by fire

The Kelowna Fire Department is investigating the cause of an early-morning fire that destroyed the Fleming House on the Brent’s Grist Mill heritage site.

Crews arrived shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday at the site in the 1400 block of Dilworth Drive.

The fire was extensive and the damage significant.

“The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. We are on scene today and investigating a possible cause but we believe the building will be a total loss,” said Travis Whiting, Fire Chief.

The other buildings on site were not damaged. The site was secured by a chain-link fence and the gate was locked when fire crews arrived. The city has enhanced security patrols at the site.

“It’s very disappointing to lose a heritage structure, particularly after so much work has gone into moving the Fleming House to a new location and rehabilitating the building,” said Derek Edstrom, Divisional Director, Partnerships & Investments.

“We will continue to focus on the heritage elements of the remaining Grist Mill as we look to adaptive reuse of the site to capture the historical importance of the structure on early settlers’ lives,” said Edstrom.

The Brent’s Grist Mill building is one of three structures (farmhouse, milk house and cairn) that were relocated to the site in 2002 and were designated for protection by Council in 2004. The three heritage buildings are listed on the Municipal Heritage Registry as well as the Provincial and National Heritage Registers.

The Brent’s Grist Mill is the oldest surviving purpose-built grist mill structure in Western Canada and represents one of the first industrial enterprises in the Okanagan. The Mill was built in 1871 using hewn post and beams, sawn joists and vertical plank exterior boards and battens.

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Original story

A heritage building sustained extensive damage in a fire this morning.

At 3:07 a.m., Kelowna Fire Dispatch received numerous 911 calls reporting flames coming from the heritage building in the 1400 block on Dilworth Drive in Kelowna.

On scene, the first arriving Officer confirmed the building was fully involved with flames. A defensive fire attack was deployed and the fire was controlled from the outside protecting other buildings on the site.

“The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and will be investigated today,” said platoon captain Dennis Miller.