By Lyonel Doherty

Firefighters in Oliver and Okanagan Falls had their hands (and hoses) full last weekend.

On Sunday, the Oliver Fire Department attended a fully engulfed structure fire on Island Road, just opposite Park Rill Road.

Neighbours reported thick black smoke and the sound of propane tanks exploding.

Firefighters managed to contain the blaze to the property, but the structure and a number of vehicles were destroyed.

No injuries were reported.

Fire department spokesman Rob Graham said the structure was a workshop that people used for accommodation purposes.

He said the fire was very intense and involved multiple vehicles including a trailer, motorhome and truck.

Graham said their biggest concern was a 1,000 pound or gallon propane tank near the building. It too was on fire but was venting, and firefighters focused on keeping it cool.

“If that tank blew up; had that exploded we could be talking some serious injuries,” Graham said, admitting that firefighters were probably a little too close in that situation.

While the cause has not been determined, the Oliver RCMP are not classifying the fire as suspicious or criminal in nature.

Sergeant Blaine Gervais said the origin for these types of fires is very difficult to determine. He noted it could have been an improperly disposed of cigarette.

One neighbour told the Chronicle that she was very scared because of the explosions.

“The noises were terrifying . . . the hissing from the propane tank.”

She noted there are a lot of combustibles on that property.

The neighbour reported that several small pieces of burned debris landed in her yard. In fact, one burned a hole in her outside couch.

Firefighters were also called to the Okanagan Correctional Centre for a fire on Monday.

Graham said one truck was allowed access to the prison to deal with a fire that was reportedly set by an inmate involving bedding material in a trash bin.

Graham said they were escorted to the area by correctional officers.

BC Corrections confirmed that an individual at the centre attempted to set fire to a mattress in a cell. (For safety reasons, correctional centre mattresses are made with fire-resistant materials.)

“The fire department attended the centre and quickly extinguished the fire, which did not result in any injuries,” BC Corrections stated.

Another fire that crews attended was at Structurlam on Sunday. It was suspected that sawdust caught fire in a planer or sander, Graham said.

The fire was already extinguished by the time firefighters arrived.

In Okanagan Falls, firefighters had a rude awakening at 3:30 a.m. on Monday when the rear of the main street barbershop caught fire.

Nobody was injured, and the cause is still being investigated, however, there are indications it was suspicious. Previous fires in that block were deemed suspicious as well.

The back of the barbershop was totally destroyed as the flames were quite high when firefighters arrived. The blaze also damaged an adjacent building.

On Friday, Okanagan Falls firefighters were called to a drowning in Skaha Lake.

It was reported that an 18-year-old male from Kelowna died after cliff jumping into the lake off Eastside Road. Firefighters conducted a search but could not find the young man, who was later recovered by divers.