One person dies in Tappen house fire, five others escape

TAPPEN, BC — The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) says one man has died after a house fire in the Tappen area yesterday (Dec. 16).

The district says the fire took place a home in the 1100 Block of Tappen-Notch Hill Road around 6:45 a.m Thursday morning. Crews from the Tappen-Sunnybrae Fire Department arrived on scene to find the house fully engulfed, with heavy smoke and flames coming out of every window.

Four adults, and one youth were also inside the home at the time, but they were able to escape the blaze. One person was taken to a nearby hospital for minor burns and smoke inhalation, and one man perished in the incident.

“Our deepest condolences go out to his loved ones,” says Sean Coubrough, CSRD Fire Services Coordinator. “Everyone working on this fire feels a sense of sorrow at this loss and wishes there was a different outcome. It was a very, very difficult day.”

Crews were on scene for about eight hours, and an investigation into the fire is underway.