Hot ashes cause small fire

Photo: Ragnar Haagen

What first sounded like a call for all hands on deck turned out to be nothing more than a minor structure fire in a rural part of Kelowna Saturday morning.

The call came in just before 11 a.m. stating that a shed was on fire on Todd Road. Over a dozen members of the Kelowna Fire Department, including three engines and a command vehicle rushed to the scene.

Upon arrival they found a neighbour on the roof of the structure applying water, and the owners trying to retrieve objects from inside the shed.

Firefighters gained access to the roof and completed the extinguishing of the fire. There was minor damage to the shed and some water damage to the inside.

The owner of the property told firefighters that he had cleaned out his wood stove in the morning and put the ashes (which he believed were cold) into a garbage can outside the building.

Unfortunately that was not the case and that’s where the fire started.

No one was injured, but the Kelowna Fire Department is taking this opportunity to remind any residents using wood burning appliances to take care when disposing of their ashes.