Overnight forest fire extinguished

A forest fire near Clifton Road Friday evening put homeowners on alert as dozens of people from around Okanagan Lake called 911 to report the blaze.

Kelowna Fire Department Assistant Chief Jason Brolund says the department responded to calls around 7:15 Friday night that a fire had been spotted in the trees high above the 300 block of Clifton Road, near Knox Mountain Park, and was spreading rapidly.

The department quickly responded with four fire trucks, two command vehicles and 18 firefighters, says Brolund, and the RCMP helped with traffic control. Homeowners were told that evacuations may be necessary, but that wasn't the case.

Once firefighters reached the blaze, they determined the fire to be low to moderate intensity (a rank 2 to 3 fire) and was completely inaccessible by road. Despite a steep, long hike and a lack of water, firefighters had the blaze under control quickly.

"A fire guard was placed around the fire and hot spots were extinguished," says Brolund. "The fire is estimated to be one-quarter of a hectare in size. The cause of the fire is undetermined and the investigation has been turned over to the RCMP."

Brolund told Castanet that crews left the scene at 1 a.m. Saturday morning and the fire is now extinguished.