Flames and black smoke could be seen rising from the Mission area of Kelowna, Wednesday morning.
A vessel that was on a boat lift about 50 feet out on a dock had caught fire at about 6:30 a.m. in the 4500 block of Eldorado Court.
Fire crews arrived to find the boat fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters deployed a supply line to the lake while a second crew on a Marine Rescue boat responded and was attacking the blaze from the lake.
RCMP arrived on scene after fire crews and were able to speak to the boat’s owner.
According to Const. Mike Della-Paolera, the owner said that at 1 a.m., he heard the motor running from his boat and couldn’t turn it off.
“He tried to pull some fuses but eventually gave up and went back to sleep. Later the owner woke up and saw the boat was on fire,” said Della-Paolera.
According to Platoon Capitan Shayne Kiehlbauch, the fire is not suspicious as it was caused by a mechanical issue with the boat, most likely caused by the motor running all night and with the vessel out of the water and the mechanics overheated. The Formula 400SS boat was heavily damaged, as was the dock which later collapsed. No one was injured in the incident. The Ministry of Environment has been notified.
READ MORE: West Kelowna RCMP nab prolific shoplifter
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jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
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