North Okanagan

Lumby RCMP dealt with their first impaired driving incident of the year on February 3 when a pickup truck driver attempted to pass the vehicle in front of him in a dangerous manner.

The driver, a 48-year-old Lumby resident,  struck the vehicle while passing on Mable Lake Road, and ended up in a field.

RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the man attempted to walk away from the scene, but was detained by police.

"Fortunately, there were no injuries.  The driver was transported to Vernon Detachment and blew over the legal limit.  To add to his troubles, he was already prohibited from driving and will be charged with that too. "
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Sometime between February 1 and 6 someone entered Gudeit Brother’s yard on Shuswap Avenue and stole a Delta 15' thickness planer. 

The planer was bolted down to a roller track inside their production facility and is estimated to be worth $2500.00. 

Molendyk says the planer  was dragged across the concrete floor and no doubt loaded into a waiting pick-up.  Anyone with possible information concerning this theft is urged to call Crime Stoppers or the Lumby RCMP.
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Molendyk also noted a group of thieves were very busy in the Cedar Ridge/Pine/Spruce roads area during the evening of February 6.

"The following morning we received six complaints of damage to property, thefts from autos, trespassing etc.  Three vehicles were entered and items stolen, two of them were unlocked. Neighbours report seeing and hearing at least three men in the area at the time."

Unfortunately the incidents occurred during the same time a fire was raging at a laundromat on Vernon Street.

Anyone with information Is urged to call the RCMP.
 

Lumby laundromat up in flames

Photo: Contributed - Wanda McGregor Kain

Photo: Contributed - Wanda McGregor Kain

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Update: According to the RCMP, the fire that destroyed a laundromat on Vernon Street is not considered suspicious.

 

RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the incident is still under investigation.

 

"At this point the scene is basically frozen solid so we have to wait for a thaw to investigate further."

 

Both tenants inside the residential apartments are safe and uninjured.

 

" Lumby Fire Department did an outstanding job by calling in extra resources and containing the fire as well as they did," says Molendyk.

 

Fire has destroyed a laundromat  and two residential apartments on Vernon Street in Lumby.

The blaze was called in early Monday night. 

Lumby Fire Chief, Tony Clayton says the back portion of the building was on fire when crews arrived, and spread rapidly.

Clayton says the old building was made with sawdust insulation and had been renovated several times.

"It was an ugly fire to fight," says Clayton because of the way it spread.

Clayton says fire crews were able to protect an adjacent building from also catching fire.

He says that building quickly became firefighters main concern.

Fire crews from Lavington, Coldstream and BX1 assisted Lumby in fighting the fire while Lumby Public Works provided heavy equipment.

Fire crews are in the midst of mopping up; however, Highway 6 around the fire will be closed until about 9 a.m. while crews mop up.

Detours are in effect.

Clayton says the building is a complete loss.

There were no injuries.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

This is the second commercial building to be destroyed by fire in the Okanagan in recent days.

On Saturday, fire destroyed Slack Alice's, the Chinese Laundry Restaurant and a beer and wine store in Penticton.

Castanet's Kelly Hayes reports from Lumby

Smoke-damaged documents and flame-licked photographs could soon rise from the ashes of a fire ravaged museum in the Shuswap-area village of Chase, B.C.

Fifteen Simon Fraser University archaeology students will travel to the community, 57 kilometres east of Kamloops, Feb. 17-19, to examine artifacts damaged in two separate fires last July at the Chase and District Museum.

The students will be applying conservation methods learned in their archeology classes.

SFU Museum of Archeology and Ethnology curator Barbara Winter says she offered the services of her students as soon as she learned of the first fire, last summer.

The Chase museum was housed in an old church and Winter has visited the site and says she was saddened and shocked at the extent of the damage.

Among the artifacts in the museum are archaeological materials held in trust for the Little Shuswap Band and archival files detailing the life of historical figure and train robber Billy Miner.

Photo: Contributed - Janice Soranno

A van travelling on Hwy 97 near Armstrong burst into flames Saturday afternoon.

A van went up in flames Saturday afternoon on Highway 97A, just out side of Armstrong.

Emergency crews responded to the call at 4:37 p.m.

In an email to Castanet, a witness says they saw the van exploding into flames as they came upon the scene.

Debris from the blast could be seen flying across the highway.

Traffic was slowed to a single lane while the fire raged.

If you saw the fire and have any pictures, please send them to news@castanet.net.

More details to come. 

Police in Salmon Arm arrested a woman trafficking cocaine in the parking lot of her apartment complex, near 4 Street SE, on Monday.

According to Sgt. Kevin Keane police then searched the 63-year-old Salmon Arm resident's home and found a substantial amount of crack cocaine, weighing scales and cash.

"During the search warrant police were inundated with people attempting to contact the woman to purchase cocaine."

According to Keane, police obliged by meeting with these people and education them on the perils of drug use.

"One such person complained to the plain clothed officer that just last week she was tricked into meeting with police to buy crack. The officer smiled and identified himself."

The name of the women is being withheld until formal charges are approved by Crown Council.