Lumby Fire Department file photo

By Pete McIntyre

Update

Deadly house fire started in basement, accidental cause: fire chief

Jun 5, 2024 | 5:00 PM

A deadly house fire in Lumby started in the basement and was accidental.

That’s all Lumby’s fire chief is able to say at this point about a major fire overnight Monday that destroyed a home on Mountain View Drive.

“It was 100 per cent damage. The house is a total loss,” Clayton told Vernon Matters.

RCMP have said one person died in the fire while three other occupants were able to escape. No information on the victim has been released.

Clayton said given the fatality, his fire department members went through a counseling session on Tuesday.

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“It was a preventive type of session. PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] is a big in the fire service, so we try to do everything we can to minimize anything like that,” Clayton remarked.

Clayton says the home was totally engulfed in flames when crews arrived.

“They did exposure protection, got hoses on the structures on either side of the house to protect them and then started combatting the main house.”

One nearby house had some exterior siding damage, and there was damage to hedges and a fence.

Clayton said firefighters from Lavington and BX-Swan Lake helped with the initial combat, with Coldstream called in later for mop-up and relief duty.

The fire chief said the house was about 19 years old.

A vehicle and motorcycle in a garage were among the items destroyed in the blaze.