Penticton Fire Chief Larry Watkinson has confirmed that two houses were affected by a fire that lit up a gully in West Bench, with one receiving more significant damage to the roof after an ember landed on it.
鈥淥ne of the embers, I guess hot embers, landed on the roof, and it caught fire, and with the dryness that we鈥檝e had, obviously it took off pretty good,鈥� said Don Lancaster, owner of the home that was hit harder by the fire. 鈥淔ire department got on it really quick, but it鈥檚 the damage now that they have to tear the roof apart to get underneath and make sure nothing鈥檚 gotten into the attic.鈥�
Related:
Lancaster, who said he wasn鈥檛 initially home during the fire, added that there has also been significant water damage to the home from firefighters dousing the fire, which he said reached around a foot in height.
鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 really been (a worry), although with the dryness and of course all the fires in B.C., you do sort of take a second look around your own neighbourhood,鈥� Lancaster said. 鈥淲e realized that those trees that went up and the ones down in front of our houses are all on First Nations land, and we have, through permission from them, there have been a few trees that we鈥檝e taken out over the last month or so.
鈥淏ut maybe more, now.鈥�
He added that he鈥檒l likely be taking a closer look at keeping his property clear of dry materials.
鈥淲e do that anyways. Especially, like I say, you see what鈥檚 going on in B.C. and how dry it is, you try to minimize the problem if it does happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淔ortunately, they seem to be pretty well on it.鈥�
Related:
The Penticton Fire Department got the call at around 9:15 a.m., and Naramata and Summerland fire departments to fight the fire, with the B.C. Wildfire Service also on the blaze with an initial attack team and helicopter support.
Watkinson said the other house that was affected was the next door house, though it appears there hasn鈥檛 been significant damage to that house.
Watkinson described an 鈥渆xtraordinary鈥� scene at the fire, which came within feet of homes on Westwood Drive.
鈥淵ou could imagine a completely dried pine tree that鈥檚 150 feet tall, fully involved in fire with wind driven from the north, spreading from tree-to-tree. It鈥檚 extraordinary to see, and intimidating to see nonetheless, with homes being licked by the flames of those trees.鈥�
Around 40 homes are under a tactical evacuation, according to Watkinson, though the evacuation order only affects Westood Drive at this point.
Firefighters had the blaze effectively under control at 100-per-cent containment, with hopes of sending residents back to their homes within a few hours.
Related:
Currently, crews are largely focused on putting out hot spots in the fire, estimated at a hectare in size.
It鈥檚 not clear if and when those whose roofs have been affected by the fires will be able to return to their homes.
鈥淥ne of them, for sure, they got quite a bit of damage. But better losing their roof to their house,鈥� Watkinson said. 鈥淐edar shakes, right, they鈥檙e perfect storm for having an ember transplant. With the wind, it picks up, it gets up in the eaves there, it gets underneath the cedar shakes.鈥�
Only homes with cedar shingles on the roof were affected by the fire, Watkinson said.
The fire appears to have started near the base of a dry, large pine tree, according to Watkinson, who said there had been some fallen trees nearby that fuelled the fire.
鈥淵ou could imagine 150-foot-long pine trees dried out, lying side by side, wind driven fire. It was a massive blaze for a while,鈥� Watkinson said.
鈥淭he City of Penticton is a FireSmart community, however not everybody participates in that model. Having three large pine trees that are dead on the front of your property on the hillside in wildfire season certainly is not what I would consider FireSmart,鈥� he added, referring to the Union of B.C. Municipalities program to mitigate wildfires鈥� effects on interface homes.
鈥淚t is an extreme fire behaviour when you have that kind of debris lying at the base of your home.鈥�
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway from local fire inspectors, as well as RCMP and provincial inspectors.
Submit your photos, videos and news tips by clicking on the 鈥楥ontact鈥� tab at the top of the page.
Related:
dustin.godfrey@pentictonwesternnews.com
Like us on and follow us on .
