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Residents and cat escape home fire near Falkland

BREAKING NEWS: House fire off Highway 97
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Residents escaped a house fire early Tuesday morning near Falkland. (Brieanna Charlebois/Morning Star)

Everyone, even the cat, escaped a structure fire early Tuesday morning near Falkland.

No one was injured in the blaze, which was located at 3233 Highway 97, just past Salmon River road.

See also: Two small fires burn near Merritt

The residents woke up to the fire at 7 a.m. and escaped unharmed.

Bob Jones’ wife had a stroke about a year ago so she’s in a wheelchair, but he made sure they got out, grabbed the cat and threw her out and everyone is safe.

The entire house and two vehicles were destroyed.

“Things happened quite quickly but if you’re safe, you’re okay. I haven’t got the faintest idea of how it started but it had just started when I realized it was there,” said Jones, who discovered the fire aroun 7:15 a.m. “It happens. I think it’ll hit me in a day or two.”

Alycia Butler saw the blaze on her morning commute at 8:45 a.m. and thought at first it was a truck fire.

While some emergency crews were on scene, there was no sign of any fire department at the time as the area is not within a protected fire zone.

“There was no ‘under control’ here because we don’t have fire protection. We just had to let it burn.”


@VernonNews
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Residents escaped a house fire early Tuesday morning near Falkland. (Brieanna Charlebois/Morning Star)
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Residents escaped a house fire early Tuesday morning near Falkland. (Brieanna Charlebois/Morning Star)