House destroyed, family homeless after fire in unprotected area near Penticton | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Penticton News

House destroyed, family homeless after fire in unprotected area near Penticton

The La Rose family lost virtually everything following a house fire at their Grand Oro Road home on Friday, Sept. 23, 2016.
Image Credit: LaRose GoFundMe page

PENTICTON - A house fire in a Penticton area rural community without fire protection resulted in a near total loss of the house and contents last week.

Penticton RCMP spokesperson Rick Dellebuur says the fire occurred around midnight on Sept. 23 at a property on Grand Oro Road in the Twin Lakes area.

There is no community fire protection in the area, and the B.C. Wildfire branch do not attend structure fires. When police arrived on scene, they found the occupants struggling to douse the flames, which eventually engulfed the residence.

Dellebuur says the fire is suspected to have originated in the chimney.

Regional district emergency services supervisor Dale Kronebusch says Twin Lakes residents have talked about the need for fire protection service in the area. Two referendums were held over the question of establishing a fire department. Both times residents declined.

A GoFundMe page has been started to help the La Rose family, who lost all but a few valuables in the blaze. The family of five, with kids aged five, six and 13, did not have contents insurance.


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News from © iNFOnews, 2016
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