Case closed in the event of a massive fire
Rob Gibson – – April 15, 2021 / 3.40 p.m. | History: 331096
Photo: Brad Farrell
Kelowna Fire Inspector Paul Johnston tells Castanet that his team has completed the investigation into the causes of the three-alarm fire at the intersection of Glenmore and Union Roads.
“We conducted our investigations with the RCMP and insurance investigators. The accelerator dog was brought in but found no hits at the scene of the fire. So we mark this as indefinite and close the file.”
The house was under construction at the time of the fire, which started around 6 a.m. on April 6th.
A crane used to erect the building was classified as a hazard after firefighters managed to put out the fire, preventing fire investigators from conducting a thorough investigation until this week.
Concerns about the crane destroyed by the fire forced the evacuation of homes in the immediate vicinity, and the fire itself damaged at least one of the adjoining townhouses. After the crane was inspected and dismantled, evacuated residents were allowed to go home on Tuesday evening.
Johnson says because the wooden building was under construction it would never be easy to find the cause of the fire.
“There was nothing we found at the scene to suggest that it was a suspicious fire.”
Johnson said investigators use photo and video evidence from the public in many of their fire investigations. “When people see a fire, we encourage them to take a photo (and video) and contact us.”
According to Johnson, investigators are going through the photos and videos to determine where the fire may have started.
“Once we figure that out, we can pinpoint the location and work deeper into the point of origin.”
