Flames lick homes near Penticton
Police investigating after blaze threatened homes in rural area
Residents of a rural Penticton neighbourhood on Thursday came “as close as you can get” to losing their homes to a wildfire that’s now under investigation by police.
The fast-moving blaze exploded into existence just after 9 a.m. in a grassy, wooded gully about 10 metres downslope from homes along Westwood Drive in the West Bench area.
It grew to approximately one hectare in size before it was fully contained around noon, according to Penticton fire Chief Larry Watkinson, who ordered the evacuation of 40 homes as a precaution. “It was about as close as you’re going to get to having a wildland interface fire and losing structures,” he said.
“The fire backed up right into people’s properties, right onto porches. It was as close as you can get without losing structures.”
Watkinson said the fire was fed by a “huge amount” of fuel on the ground, such as dry grass and dead trees, then moved into standing trees.
“You can imagine a completely dry pine tree that’s 150 feet tall, fully involved in fire,” he said.
“It’s extraordinary to see — and intimidating to see — with homes basically being licked by the flames from those trees.”
Watkinson ordered a third-alarm response to the fire, meaning every available resource was called in to assist, along with help from neighbouring departments in Naramata and Summerland.
“We threw everything we could at it,” he said.
The BC Wildfire Service also responded with a ground crew and helicopter, which dumped water on the flames from above.
Watkinson said the cause of the fire is now under investigation by the RCMP, but he declined comment on whether he believes the circumstances surrounding its ignition are suspicious.
Evacuees were allowed to return home Thursday afternoon.
Structural damage was limited to
two homes, both of which have cedar shake roofs that caught fire when embers landed on them.
The worst-hit home belongs to Don Lancaster, who watched as firefighters cut a hole in his roof so they could spray water into his attic and ensure the fire didn’t take hold.
“Now there’s a lot of water damage, too, but it is what it is,” he said. “Nobody got hurt, and that’s the main thing.”
Lancaster said the area where the fire started — between Westwood Drive and Selby Park — is part of the Penticton Indian reserve and efforts had been made recently to reduce the fuel load there, including taking down some trees. A walking
trail passes through the area.
Raymond Hopper was doing masonry work on a home on Westwood Drive when he noticed smoke and went to look.
He spoke to two people, who told him they were sitting on their deck and watched as the fire started in a tree that was lying on the ground, seemingly without a spark.
“It was just, like, instantaneous,” said Hopper.
He stayed behind while others were evacuated, and started running sprinklers on his client’s roof to increase its fire resistance.
“I kept hosing down the roof,” said Hopper, “and finally (police) kicked me out of there.”