Contributed
UPDATE 5.15 pm
West Kelowna Fire Rescue says it responded to reports of a forest fire in the area of Talon Drive and Hawkes Boulevard, but when they arrived, firefighters determined the flames came from a travel trailer instead of the surrounding field.
Three engines, two security guards, an investigator and a command staff were sent from the Westbank, Rose Valley and Lakeview Heights fire stations.
The fire department says the wind-blown fire quickly spread to nearby vehicles, vegetation and a property structure.
Teams set up a supply line and used large-diameter manual lines for a quick initial defeat, but due to the volume of materials on site and the age of the building involved, the fire was stubborn. to go extinct.
Firefighters had to use chainsaws to cut the roof and enter the hidden spaces of the structure to put out the fire.
The scene has been handed over to the GRC, which is investigating the case.
UPDATE 15:35 h
West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund says teams are being cleaned up.
He adds that the fire was in a small outbuilding. It spread to the nearby grass, but the crew managed to knock it down.
The cause is being investigated.
UPDATE 15:25 h
Now it looks like firefighters have the edge.
They are pouring out at 3203 Old Okanagan Highway, and most of the heavy black smoke has cleared.
ORIGINAL 15:05 h
The West Kelowna Fire Department has been called into a fire on the lands of the Westbank First Nation.
A structure parked in a field next to a house behind Walmart appears to be completely surrounded by flames. Another council said it is a burning mobile home.
Various images and videos show black smoke rising at the scene and fire trucks parked nearby.
Castanet has a road report to the scene.
Photo: contributed
The fire appears to be in a structure near a house on a property near Walmart.