Early morning car fire sparks in Penticton hospital parkade

A man visiting his wife at Penticton Regional Hospital Thursday morning got an unexpectedly dramatic start to his day when a car caught on fire in the parkade.

Rick Tomkins was walking with another couple in the parkade around 7:45 a.m. when one of them said to him, "I think that car is on fire."

"I turn around and go yeah, it doesn't look like steam," Tomkins said. "One thing led to another and it took off."

Tomkins said he told the front desk to phone the fire department as acrid smoke began to billow from the front of the vehicle. A security guard tried to douse the car with a fire extinguisher.

Thankfully, fire crews were on scene almost right away, and took over.

Deputy fire chief Rob Trupp said the fire was in the engine compartment and was extinguished with a hand line, and no damage was done to the hospital parking structure. Smoke was confined to the parking area and ventilated with fans.

Tomkins said he was grateful for the fast work of the fire department, especially since, as he said, "it could have been a lot worse."

"I was wondering, should I go up and rescue my wife or not?" he added with a chuckle.

Trupp said the fire is not considered suspicious, and the owners were located in the hospital. The vehicle was removed by Penticton Towing.