Six residents displaced following Friday night Kelowna house fire

Photo: Maizal Munif

Damage to the interior of the home that on Kelowna's Centennial Crescent.

Six tenants of a home on Kelowna's Centennial Crescent have been displaced following a house fire Friday night.

Fire crews rushed to the scene at about 7:30 p.m. after receiving reports that a mattress in one of the home's bedrooms had caught fire. The fire was contained to the single bedroom, but much of the house was damaged by smoke and water.

One of the residents suffered minor burns to his hand while trying to extinguish the fire.

While the cause of the fire has yet to be confirmed, the owner of the home Maizal Munif said his tenants told him a phone charger left on the bed exploded and lit the mattress ablaze.

“The one bedroom is basically destroyed,” Munif said. “The ceiling was also ripped down because they had to get at the insulation.”

As a result, the entire home is now uninhabitable for the time being, and the six long-term tenants in the home, three on the main floor and three in the basement suite, are being supported by Emergency Support Services.

But Munif says that support will only last for a few days, and while he's working to get the home remediated as soon as possible, his tenants may be left without a place to go.

“I don't know the timeline of that exactly, but I do know that according to the insurance adjuster, it's not a quick turn around. So I want to have some plans in place,” he said.

“If I have some funds I can potentially put them up somewhere.”

He's started a Gofundme campaign, seeking funds to help his tenants find accommodation through the next few weeks.

“We are reaching out to our community and beyond to rally support for these tenants during this incredibly difficult time,” the Gofundme page states.

“Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a significant difference in helping these individuals regain a sense of normalcy and rebuild their lives.

Photo: Nicholas Johansen