UNDER INVESTIGATION | Large hay barn destroyed at dairy farm in Spallumcheen [A5]
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Friday, July 3, 2015
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Target date for track RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
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A Vernon firefighter hoses down the fire on 48th Avenue from above Tuesday evening. The Ministry of Social Development office and a foot clinic were destroyed.
Blaze has ministry scrambling RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
A massive fire consumed a Vernon office Tuesday but it won’t leave residents without access to critical social services. Flames roared through the Ministry of Social Development building on 48th Avenue at 6:30 p.m., destroying everything inside. “We don’t expect any gaps in service. Clients who require crisis grants or have immediate needs will continue to be served,” stated the ministry in a release. While a new office is being sought, ministry staff have set up at the Service BC centre at 3201 30th St. where clients can pick up cheques and have other immediate needs addressed. “The ministry has also set up a tent near the fire site where staff are on hand to make sure clients who show up with urgent needs know how to access services,” stated the release. Clients with non-urgent needs are encouraged to contact the min-
istry’s toll free line at 1-866-8660800 to access services and for more information. “There were some paper files lost in the fire such as paper stubs, staff files and receipt books but client information is held electronically on a central system so staff can continue to access those records,” stated the ministry. Also gutted was the North Okanagan Foot and Ankle clinic. “We have to find a temporary
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Flames engulf the Ministry of Social Development on 48th Avenue Tuesday.
spot and then a permanent spot. We have a line on a couple of places,” said Dr. Mike Motyer, with the clinic. The fire was reported when smoke was noticed coming from the structure. “Firefighters forced the doors open to look for fires inside and noticed fires coming from the fixtures so they evacuated. The fire then broke through the rear and moved rapidly,” said Lawrie
Skolrood, Vernon deputy fire chief. “It pretty much became a defensive response and it was about an hour and 40 minutes before it was knocked down, and there have been spot fires ever since.” Skolrood says the chances of saving the building were minimal given that the fire was entrenched in the roof. “How long the fire had been going is a question. If it had been well-seeded (inside), it could have been throughout the building before it was noticed.” The amount of damage is making the investigation a challenge, and while the roof is believed to be the fire’s point of origin, that doesn’t mean roofing work is necessarily the cause. “It doesn’t rule it out but we don’t have enough information at this point,” said Skolrood. Motyer has nothing but praise for firefighters. “They worked very hard. They did their best to get it under control,” he said.
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It will be awhile yet before Greater Vernon residents lace up and hit the track. The synthetic track surface is currently being installed at the Greater Vernon Community Sports Facility next to Okanagan College and the track will be available to the public at the end of July. “We realize people are excited to get out there and start using the track and field, which is why we will be opening them up to the public as soon as they are ready to go,” said director Bob Fleming. Residents will be able to use the facility for free and rental fees will apply when it’s being booked for special events or programs. “People will be able to walk on the track,” said Keith Pinkoski, parks manager. A sign on the site says the facility will open in spring, but Pinkoski admits that timeline has been delayed. “The contractors were looking for the best weather window to get the (track) product down,” said Pinkoski. But while the track surface will soon be available, other components of the facility will not. “Use of the grass field has to wait for the turf to be established,” said Tannis Nelson, community development coordinator. The washroom building is not accessible as washrooms are currently being installed. “It will be finished in time to accommodate users during the high-use season, starting in mid to late September,” said Pinkoski.