THE www.keremeosreview.com PM Agreement #40012521
Review Vol.16 Number 32
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Serving the communities of Keremeos, Cawston, Okanagan Falls and Kaleden
$1.15 including GST
RESIDENCE BURNS NEAR ST. ANDREWS
Structure fire spreads to surrounding bush See page 1, 9
MEMORIAL SERVICE
Photo by Steve Arstad
Acting Keremeos Mayor Charlene Cowling chose Don and Doreen Roper’s 1936 Ford Tudor touring sedan as her Mayor’s Choice at the 13th annual Kars Under the “K” car show, held in Memorial Park on Sunday, August 3.
First World War centennary See page 5
BEATING THE HEAT
Not easy for some village merchants See page 5
Fire destroys Saddlehorn Drive home By Steve Arstad news@keremeosreview.com
Members of the Kaleden and Okanagan Falls Volunteer Fire Departments fought a structure fire at 135 Saddlehorn Drive into Thursday morning, July 31. Kaleden Fire Department responded to the original call which was dispatched around 11:15 Wednesday night. Firefighters arrived on scene to find a log house fully engulfed, with spot fires spreading to the surrounding wooded area. Kaleden also called in mutual aid, requesting Okanagan Falls and forestry wildfire firefighters for assistance. Water tenders from both fire departments were utilized to bring water to the scene from St Andrews, about a kilometre south
of Saddlehorn Drive. A small crew of Okanagan Falls firefighters were also stationed at Keremeos firehall during the fire. Showers of sparks, shooting 70-80 feet in the air set nearby bush on fire. Fortunately for the firefighters, the night was calm. “We were very lucky,” said Kaleden Fire Chief Darlene Bailey. “There certainly was potential for this to have been a major interface fire, had other weather conditions prevailed.” There were some tense moments early in the fire. With sparks soaring and roughly a half acre of tree covered interface burning, residents of Saddlehorn Drive gathered on the street to watch with concern. A number of nearby residences would have been under immediate threat had the fire spread.
Kaleden and Okanagan Falls firefighters battled the structure through the night while forestry firefighters put out hot spots surrounding the building, in addition to constructing a fireguard. Approximately 20 firefighters attended the incident. Kaleden firefighters remained on scene through Thursday afternoon, dousing hot spots in the building’s remains and in the surrounding forest. The scene was also attended by members of the RCMP and BC Ambulance. The fire’s origins are as yet undetermined. It is believed two males were renting the building, which is owned by an Abbotsford resident. Early reports from dispatch indicated the possibility that rounds of ammunition were exploding in the fire. Neighbouring property owners on Saddlehorn Drive also reported two loud explosions prior to seeing the building erupt in flames.