Derelict home owned by city burns
Waterfront property purchased last year as part of plans to expand Rotary Park
A derelict, city-owned waterfront home was destroyed by fire Wednesday evening.
Neighbours began phoning the fire department at 6:30 p.m. about a blaze that had broken out in the home at 3676 Lakeshore Rd.
Flames were coming out of second-storey windows and the home’s roof when firefighters arrived, platoon Capt. Dennis Miller said in a release.
“The crews performed a defensive attack from the exterior and protected other residences to the north and south,” Miller said.
The 1,400-square-foot home, built in 1948, collapsed because of the fire. No one was living there.
Last September, the City of Kelowna bought the 1,619-squaremetre property for $2.7 million as part of the municipality’s ongoing effort to purchase waterfront land for eventual public use.
At the time of the purchase, the home was in poor repair, with the front door missing and the red carpet inside looking well worn.
When the city bought the property, officials said the intention was to demolish the derelict home in the interest of public safety within a few weeks. However, that demolition did not happen.
The city’s interest in the property, two lots north of Rotary Park, stems from its 21-metre-wide sandy beach.
“We’re excited to acquire this waterfront property for the eventual expansion of Rotary Park,” Ben Walker of the city’s real estate division said last fall.
But that expansion won’t happen until or unless the city is able to eventually buy the private property immediately north of Rotary Park. It’s not currently for sale and has an assessed value of $3.4 million.