Brush fire started at homeless camp

Transients are believed to have started a brush fire early Sunday morning in Kelowna. Numerous people called 911 about 8:30 a.m. after seeing flames and smoke in a wooded area near the corner of Dilworth Drive and Enterprise Way. The brush blaze had spread to an area of about 30 feet by 30 feet when it was extinguished by Kelowna Fire Department crews.

“The fire was started by cooking in a homeless shelter camp,” platoon captain Kelly Stephens said in a release.

A wooded area west of Dilworth Drive has long been a popular place for homeless encampments.

Last summer, a fire believed to have been started by transients severely damaged a city-owned heritage property called the Fleming House, which dates back to the late 1800s.