Several vehicles burned in fire labelled suspicious
Several vehicles caught fire in a wooded area of West Kelowna Monday afternoon.
West Kelowna Fire Rescue responded to the fire in the 3600 block of Gates Road near Glenrosa Road about 12:20 p.m.
“En route, there was quite a bit of black smoke,” said Darren Lee, assistant fire chief. “Given the wind and the dry conditions today, we also asked for the BC Wildfire Service to give us a hand.”
West Kelowna Fire Rescue also requested that Peachland Fire Rescue respond with its water tender, and the BC Wildfire Service responded with initial attack crews and a helicopter.
On arrival, crews saw four vehicles on fire on a rural property. The fire had spread to nearby brush and grass, said Lee. Crews saw no house on the property, but the fire was threatening to spread to nearby timber. There were at least 10 cars on the property, Lee said. Crews managed to knock the fires down quickly and continued working on hot spots throughout the afternoon.
The fire is believed to be human-caused and is being called suspicious. The investigation has been turned over to the West Kelowna RCMP, he said.
Anyone with information about the fire, or anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area, is asked to call RCMP at 250-768-2880 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 to remain anonymous.