Three people were taken to hospital after a house fire in Kelowna this morning.
The Kelowna Fire Department (KFD) was called to the scene in the 2400 block of Sexsmith Road around 7:40 am.
According to the KFD, the person reporting the fire said there were people trapped in the basement.
The first-arriving crews were able to quickly remove two people from the basement through a window, before assisting another two people get out of the back door.
They then took over the firefighting duties from an occupant of the home who had been trying to put out the fire with a garden hose.
Capt. Robert Skeldon described the blaze as “a contents fire” and said that it was not suspicious in nature, but it remains under investigation.
“A search was conducted to confirm all occupants were safely out of the building and [we] removed some pets during the search,” Skeldon noted.
He did not clarify whether the pets were alive or dead when removed from the home.
No firefighters were injured during the incident, but three people who were “visiting the home” at the time of the fire were taken to hospital by ambulance.
Skeldon added that the occupant of the home will not be able to return at this time and is in the care of Emergency Support Services.
The KFD responded to this call with three engines, a rescue unit, a safety unit, a command unit, a deputy chief and 17 total personnel.
