Fire damages house

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

Fire scene on Tuesday morning

The Penticton Fire Department responded to a fire in an unoccupied house on Ellis Street on Monday night.

Fire Chief Wayne Williams said when the crew arrived at 601 Ellis Street, they saw smoke coming out and found a fire in the basement.

It was their understanding, it was a vacant house that is slated for demolition, Williams said.

A neighbour, who gave her name as Val, said her daughter told her earlier in the evening there were a bunch of young people with flashlights in the house and to call the cops.

She didn't call the police because the house is slated for demolition anyways, she explained.

The neighbour did not hear sirens or see the firefighters, but she saw crime scene tape and a police officer outside the home Tuesday morning.

A fire inspector was also at the scene. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.