Suspicious structure fire in Kelowna

A late-night callout of the Kelowna Fire Department led to significant damage to a boarded up, abandoned duplex.

The calls came in at around 11:00 p.m. about smoke coming from the structure in the 1800 block of Chandler Street.

The first arriving crew reported smoke coming from the soffits and from around the boarded-up windows.

“Crews removed the boards and found fire in a bedroom on the main floor. Crews deployed a hose line and quickly knocked down the fire from the exterior. They then went into the overhaul phase to make sure the fire was completely extinguished,” said Shayne Kiehlbauch, Platoon Captain.

The fire caused significant damage as it burnt through the floor, compromising the floor joists.

“At this time, we don’t have a cause for the fire. It is suspicious as the house was boarded up,” said Kiehlbauch.