THE www.keremeosreview.com PM Agreement #40012521
Review Vol.17 Number 1
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Thursday, January 1, 2015
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Serving the communities of Keremeos, Cawston, Okanagan Falls and Kaleden
2014: The year of the fires
Twenty people lost their jobs when the Keremeos Hotel, one of the village’s oldest and most historic buildings, went up in flames on July 7. Tara Bowie Review Staff
The heat was turned up on the Keremeos fire department as it battled a number of intense structure fires in 2014. After a calm January, fire struck twice in the downtown area as the upper floors of the Riverbed Bistro were destroyed and then two days later a building on Seventh Street that housed a dog grooming business and an apartment was destroyed. The upper floor of the Riverbed Bistro was fully engulfed by the time Keremeos firefighters arrived at about 7:30 p.m. February 1. No injuries were reported and the upper units were under renovation at the time. RCMP determined the cause of the fire was suspicious. No charges have been laid. The roof was not replaced on the building until mid-May. It has yet to be re-opened. Fire struck Seventh Street just two days later in the early hours of February 3. At about 1:30 a.m. 16 firefighters battled through a chilly, windy night. Although the structure on fire that housed Paw Spa and an apartment could not be saved the adjacent buildings Ox Yoke Collectables and the Keremeos BC Liquor store were protected.
“It was an old building with a shiplap ceiling that made it difficult for firefighters to access. An excavator was brought in to help knock the building down and prevent spread to neighbouring properties. The firefighters did a great job under difficult circumstances,” KVFD fire chief Jordy Bosscha said at the time. Just four days later the Keremeos fire department responded to a fire that broke out in a Barcelo Road residence in Cawston on Feb. 7. When firefighters arrived on scene at about 8 a.m. the home was fully engulfed. The intense fire, believed to have started in the home’s carport, spread to firewood near the residence. The fire left the owners of the home, an elderly couple, homeless and destroyed two vehicles. Wildfire season arrived early in 2014 with the first fire striking near the base of the mountain near A and M Orchards just north of Keremeos on April 11. Fanned by strong, gusty winds firefighters were fortunate that the westerly winds moved it away from property on the valley floor. Just two days later crews were back at it again as a second wildfire broke out south of Cawston between Highway 3 and
the Similkameen River. A hayfield and barn were threatened, but firefighters managed to prevent any property losses. Keremeos firefighters worked the 84-hectare fire from 2:30 p.m. until midnight and were back on scene the next morning assessing hot spots. Despite Keremeos firefighters’ efforts, a devastating fire destroyed the Red Bridge Pub, Keremeos Hotel and Liquor Store and the 7th Street Diner on July 7. The fire department was called to the historic building at about 8:20 a.m. to find the inside fully engulfed. Within minutes the flames had breached to the outside of the building. Mutual aid was called immediately with fire crews arriving from Kaleden and Osoyoos. Crews battled the blaze for four hours but the building was completely gutted. The fire emitted plumes of grey and black smoke for several hours blanketing parts of the village and making breathing difficult. Twenty people lost their place of employment as a result of the fire. The cause of the fire was not deemed suspicious. The Keremeos Hotel was one of the village’s oldest and most historic buildings dating back to 1906.
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