A house fire in the 2600 block of Springfield Road in Kelowna claimed the life of a woman, Tuesday, March 13, 2018.
(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
March 13, 2018 - 11:21 AM
KELOWNA – A woman who escaped a burning home in Kelowna early this morning was killed when she went back inside the inferno.
The fire at a home in the 2600 block of Springfield Road was spotted by someone driving by at around 5:05 a.m. today, March 13, according to a RCMP media release.
Police say the passerby pulled into the driveway and laid on the horn to wake the sleeping family inside.
Witnesses told police a man, a woman and two children escaped the burning house.
“Investigators believe that the woman re-entered the residence for an unconfirmed reason,” Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey. “Tragically she was not seen re-exiting the home.”
When firefighters arrived at the scene they were unable to immediately enter the home “due to extreme fire conditions,” Platoon Capt. Scott Clarke says in a media release.
When it was safe for crews to get inside, the body of the woman was found.
RCMP Victim Services and Emergency Social Services are working with the surviving family members.
Springfield Road was closed and traffic rerouted while crews battled the fire. Springfield Road has since reopened.
“Investigational findings at the scene have led police to believe the tragic blaze to be electrical and non-criminal in nature,” O'Donaghey says.
He says due to the privacy of the deceased, the victim’s identity will not be released or confirmed.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP General Investigations Section at 250-762-3300.
— This story was updated at 10:51 a.m. Wednesday, March 14, 2018 to include new information from RCMP about the cause of the fire.
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