'There's always something going on': Neighbour frustrated with drug use, fires at Kelowna vacant property

Photo: Sandi Bolk

A large fire was lit in the backyard of a vacant property in the 200 block of Dougall Road S. on Wednesday morning.

A woman whose family has lived in Kelowna for decades is frustrated over ongoing problems at a vacant house in her Rutland neighbourhood.

Sandi Bolk says no one has lived in the house for years and now some street-entrenched people are using it for a hangout.

The final straw for her was on Wednesday morning when the Kelowna Fire Department had to respond to the property in the 200 block of Dougall Road S. to douse a fire someone had lit in the backyard.

She posted photos of the fire to a local community Facebook group, writing, "Ask me if I feel safe."

“There’s always something going on there,” said Bolk. “Sometimes you can hear people yelling over there, people staying in the backyard and then they’re gone the following day, then they’re back again.

“The whole area, ever since they put the social services building on the corner of Highway 33 and Dougall Road S., it’s been terrible.”

She says the back of her car has been smashed, she caught a thief in the back of her husband’s truck and bags of stolen goods have been left dumped on the street.

“My husband drove through there yesterday, and there was a propane tank that was burnt back there.

“There’s garbage, there’s garbage everywhere.”

She says she has never seen evidence of a property owner coming to check on the property.

Bolk wants her neighbourhood back. She moved to the area in the 1980s and now lives in her grandfather’s house.

“It’s my home. My roots are here and I know a lot of people in the area as well, their roots are here. When we see this, it’s terrible,” she said.

She is not the only one who wants something done. Other residents who commented on her Facebook post said they have complained to the city numerous times about suspicious activity at the Dougall Rd S. property.

The City of Kelowna says Bylaw Services has received several complaints about 200 Dougall Rd S . It’s working with the property owner to secure the house from unauthorized access.

The city said demolition of the property is pending. It couldn’t say exactly when, but it would likely be a matter of weeks, not months.

That should be music to the ears of Sandi Bolk and many of her neighbours.