Pair of Kamloops fires keep crews busy; RCMP puts out call for information

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops Fire Rescue crews were kept busy this past weekend, tackling two fires on Saturday.

The first fire came at approximately 6:30 a.m. when KFR was called to 227 Palm St to a structure fire.

With the help of RCMP, an unidentified body was discovered in the building.

“Fire was contacted and when KFR had put the flames out that’s when they unfortunately a deceased person found among the remains of the outbuilding fire,” says Cpl. Crystal Evelyn.

KFR was able to extinguish the structure fire by 8:00 a.m. as multiple crews worked to clear out the wreckage.

The second of the two fires happened shortly after 3:00 p.m. when KFR crews were called to a grass fire near Columbia St. West.

“It’s still very dry conditions right now and with the wind, we’re having lately the fire travelled quite quickly. They were able to get on scene very fast and stop the fire from progressing to where it was going to possibly threaten the building,” says Life Safety Educator Jamie Chase with Kamloops Fire Rescue.

Chase added that the area has had very little moisture lately and these dry conditions can severely impact fire behaviour.

“Juniper shrubs — we’ve been talking a lot about this — once they get hot enough they burn really fast and give off a huge amount of heat and continue causing the fire to spread,” says Chase.

Both fires are currently being investigated and don’t have causes yet.

Officers have yet to identify the body of the person in the structure fire and anyone with video surveillance or more information is asked to contact Kamloops RCMP.

“We’re asking people to have a look at any dashcam footage or security footage and see if they have captured any type of activity in the 100-block of Palm St to help us figure out what happened,” Evelyn adds.