Fire at barber shop

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

The owner of an Okanagan Falls barber shop was open for business after a fire burned an exterior wall of the shop early Wednesday.

Daniel Markin said his landlord and firefighters were at the scene quickly, otherwise it could have been much worse.

"I am just lucky that they caught it in time, because the whole building could have gone up, because it is an old wood structure," said Markin, as he clipped a customer's hair at OK Barber Shop.

Markin said the landlord came to his house in OK Falls at 12:30 a.m. and told him the shop was on fire.

When Markin arrived, the fire department, police and B.C. Ambulance were all there.

Deputy fire chief Rob Oliver said crews responded after the landlord first tried to put out the fire using a bucket.

Markin reopened the shop mid-morning, without any electricity. 

"I am improvising, using a neighbour's power," he said. "I have the clippers going and will get halogen lights up this afternoon."

Fortunately, he added, he does have insurance.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.