KFR credits smoke alarms for saving lives after early-morning fire Tuesday at Kamloops motel

Photo: Tim Petruk

Fire damaged a suite at the Tournament Inn early Tuesday morning.

Kamloops fire crews say working smoke alarms saved lives when a suite caught fire this week in a Valleyview motel.

Emergency crews were called to the Tournament Inn at about 4 a.m. on Tuesday for a report of a fire in a unit. The blaze was started by combustible materials being stored too close to a baseboard heater.

No one was injured in the blaze, but it could have been tragic, according to Kamloops Fire Rescue Chief Steve Robinson.

“We know for certain that at least two Kamloops residents are alive today because their residence was equipped with functioning smoke alarms,” he said.

Tournament Inn resident Rob Fletcher, who lives next door to the suite where the fire started, said he was awoken by a smoke detector on Tuesday morning. After calling 911, he kicked on his neighbour’s back door to make sure they were aware of the blaze in their home.

“They wouldn’t have made it out, it went yup so quick that by the time the fire department got here the cars out front were already on fire,” he said.

KFR chief fire prevention officer Dean Olstad said fire crews have been working with the Tournament Inn in recent months to make sure all suites are properly protected.

“KFR has been actively working with the owners of this property over the last year to ensure that all of the units are equipped with functioning smoke alarms,” he said.