Apartment building evacuated due to fire

Residents of a Kelowna high rise building had to evacuated this morning due to a fire.

The Kelowna Fire Department responded to an alarm in a complex in the 1400 block of St. Paul Street just after 3:00 a.m.

“The first arriving crew was directed to the ninth floor by the alarm panel. The officer reported smoke on the ninth floor and found a fire in one of the units. The alarm was upgraded to a second alarm structure fire,” said Captain Scott Clarke.

Clarke said the fire damage was contained to the unit, but water from a sprinkler head activation and firefighting efforts affected multiple units on, and below, the fire unit.

No one was in the unit at the time and all occupants of the building were able to safely evacuate without injury.

“The cause of the fire appears to be accidental at this time, but will be investigated by the Kelowna Fire Department today,” said Clarke.