Arson possible in Kelowna blaze
Was it carelessness or arson? That is the burning question as fire and police investigators try to determine the cause of Sunday afternoon’s blaze on Knox Mountain.
“We can now confirm the fire was human caused,” Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told The Kelowna Daily Courier on Monday.
“But, we’re still investigating to find out if it was a result of someone’s carelessness or if it was deliberately set. There’s a big difference because one’s an accident and the other is arson.”
Kelowna Fire Department and Kelowna police investigators are looking into initial reports the fire was intentionally set and an unknown person was seen walking away from the scene.
Moskaluk declined to elaborate where that initial report came from, who the witness is and where they were when they saw the suspect leaving the scene.
Authorities are trying to determine if there might be a connection between the Knox fire and the July 15 Lake Country blaze that scorched 55 hectares, burned down eight homes and forced the evacuation of 331 properties, according to Kelowna Fire Department platoon Capt. Tim Light.
That indicates investigators might be leaning to intentionally set, and thus arson, in the Knox case because the Lake Country fire has been deemed a criminal case of arson.
Investigators have pinpointed the fire’s origin on Okanagan Centre Road and set up a special tips line at for anyone who may have information.
No special tips line has been established to gather information on the Knox fire.
But if you know anything about the fire, you can call the general Kelowna RCMP line at or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at .
The Knox blaze raged over 0.7 of a hectare just above the second lookout in the park on Sunday afternoon.
Although the fire wasn’t that big, it was close to homes and spread quickly.
Because flames and smoke could be seen from downtown Kelowna, the fire immediately became the talk of the town and it further reinforced that a fire can start in an instant, move fast and threaten life and property in no time.
“People have to be cautious how they handle combustibles like cigarettes (smoking is prohibited in parks and public spaces), respect the campfire ban and respect the park closures,” said Moskaluk.
Knox Mountain Drive is closed to vehicle traffic because a car’s exhaust can accidentally spark fire in extremely dry grass and underbrush.
Paul’s Tomb and Lochview Trail, which are part of the park, are closed as are 18 other parks in the Central Okanagan.
The extreme fire danger will continue for the foreseeable future with the hottest and driest weather of the summer coming up this week.
The smoke in the air around Kelowna isn’t from any local fires, it’s drifting in from wildfires in Washington state and near Clinton.
From Wednesday through the B.C. Day long weekend, all Ricky’s restaurants in the province will be donating $2 from the sale of all eggs benny dishes to the Canadian Red Cross to support B.C. Wildfire relief efforts.