NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
www.pentictonwesternnews.com
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news Guidelines set for major events, Boonstock still hasn’t paid up
VOL. 48 ISSUE 94
John Fogerty ready to rock SOEC with hits from 1969
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FRIDAY, November 21, 2014
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sports Vees down Rivermen for third straight victory
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business B.C. government says liquor rules will level playing field
FIRE ON FAIRVIEW
NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
Dale Boyd & Steve Kidd Western News Staff
Residents and onlookers stood outside the Kirkland Apartment building on 803 Fairview Rd. on Thursday as flames jumped from the roof. Firefighters were called to the scene around 5 p.m. where multiple police cars and first responders blocked off the street to the public. “One person was taken by ambulance to Penticton Regional Hospital,” said Penticton Fire Chief Wayne Williams. “We don’t know the extent of her injuries.” Residents were promptly evacuated from the building and stood watching across the street on the chilly night. It was an unusual time of the day for an alarm to go off, said resident Marsha O’Donnel. “The fire alarm started going off. I was making my supper and sitting watching my soaps and all of a sudden the alarm went off. At this time of night when the alarm goes off you tend to pay attention, so I’m glad we did,” O’Donnel said. Fire crews managed to extinguish the flames within an hour. “They are checking for hotspots and we also have a number of crews in the building right now searching to make sure there is no one else left in the building,” said Williams. At this time it is unknown what started the fire. “We are not sure if it started inside the suite and spread to the balcony, or started on the balcony and spread to the inside,” said Williams. “We will be talking with the resident of the building where it is believed the fire started. We had an investigator here very early on in the fire so he has been talking to a bunch
FIRE ENGULFED the balcony of a suite (above) located in Kirkland Apartments on Thursday evening. (Below) RCMP officer Const. Jennifer Holliday speaks with a resident of the apartment building who was taken to the residents’ meeting point at the library.
Submitted photo and Steve Kidd/Western News
of people, but we will be talking to more people tomorrow.” Williams said he is hoping to get as many residents, most of whom are seniors, back into their apartments last
night. “Those who can’t, we will be going in to get any medication or anything that they need and they will be put up in a hotel,” said Williams.
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PENTICTON FIREFIGHTERS douse flames shooting from the balcony and roof on the upper floor of a Fairview Avenue apartment.
Dale Boyd/Western News
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