Tent goes up in flames at Kelowna homeless encampment

Encampment tent fire

Photo: Contributed

A tent caught fire along the rail trail in Kelowna on Sunday afternoon.

A tent went up in flames along the rail trail in Kelowna Sunday afternoon.

A woman who lives in the downtown core shared a photo showing smoke rising from the city's designated encampment site around 3 p.m.

People living on the streets of Kelowna have had to deal with colder weather in the past few days.

The overnight low for Sunday into Monday is set to fall to -10 C, with a windchill near -13 C. That could push the City of Kelowna’s Extreme Weather Response Protocol to a Level 2 response.

Under a Level 2 response, the Assistance to Shelter Act is in effect. Under the act, RCMP and bylaw officers work to support at-risk individuals in accessing shelters, hospitals and other emergency services. Front-line agencies and outreach services will also proactively look for those on the streets to distribute warming supplies and transport them to indoor warming areas.

Other measures under Level 2 response include warming buses and a stationary warming tent that the Kelowna Gospel Mission will deploy at tent city.