1 hospitalized, residents displaced after Kelowna apartment fire

Firefighters respond to a blaze on Rowcliffe Avenue on Monday, Jan. 6. (Courtesy: Cindy White/Castanet)

Firefighters knocked down a blaze on the third floor of a low-rise apartment building near downtown Kelowna Monday afternoon.

The Kelowna Fire Department says crews arrived at the 500 block of Rowcliffe Avenue around 2 p.m. to find heavy black smoke coming out of a unit.

It sent five fire engines, two ladder trucks, a rescue truck and a command vehicle to the scene, according to a news release from Platoon Capt. Corrie Lang.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to one unit, but rooms below it sustained water damage and the smoke permeated the entire third floor.

One resident was taken to hospital with unknown injuries, Lang said.

While most of the building’s residents were able to return home after the fire, a number remained displaced and emergency social services was deployed to help.