Fire destroys cars, garage

Photo: Darren Handschuh

A detached garage, three vehicles and a small travel trailer were destroyed by fire Sunday night near Vernon.

BX/Swan Lake Fire Chief Bill Wacey said the call came in at 9:45 p.m. and, when crews arrived, they found a two-car garage on Old Kamloops Road fully engulfed in flames.

Witnesses report hearing a series of small explosions, and Wacey said there was a “huge fuel load” in the building.

“There were propane bottles and all the stuff you would find in a garage,” he said, adding the materials were a concern for the 23 volunteer firefighters who responded with five trucks.

The home next to the garage wasn't damaged and no one was injured in the blaze.

Wacey said the fire is not currently considered suspicious. Police are investigating and looking for a cause.

Wacey said the fire presented several challenges, including a long, steep, narrow driveway, which made it difficult to keep the department's 1,500-gallon port-a-pond full. There are no fire hydrants on the rural road, so firefighters had to bring in their own water.

The garage was surrounded by trees, shrubs and grass, and crews had to ensure the fire didn't spread to the nearby hillside or house.

“In another couple of weeks, with this hot weather, it would have been a different story,” he said. “Things are still pretty green out there right now.”