It may never be known what sparked a three-alarm blaze last week at a Penticton motel.
Firefighters were called to the Pass Motor Inn on Skaha Lake Road late on Dec. 30 after flames broke out in one of the second-storey suites.
Investigators later placed the fire’s area of origin in a leather recliner, said Dave Spalding, deputy chief of the Penticton Fire Department.
“Because of the damage in the unit, we couldn’t find a source of ignition,” he continued, so the cause has been ruled undetermined, but not suspicious.
Spalding said investigators did rule out an auxiliary heater as the source of the fire, but weren’t able to rule out some other potential causes, such as smoking materials.
The person who was living in the unit where the fire started was taken to hospital for treatment of burns. One other adjacent suite was scorched by fire, while two others below were damaged by water.
Spalding said his department had 28 people on site at the height of the emergency.
“The guys weren’t even on scene when they made it a third alarm, which is our highest level that calls back all of our off-duty career and auxiliary members,” he explained.
“There was heavy fire and heavy, black smoke visible a block away.”
He reminded people to regularly check smoke alarms and ensure that auxiliary heaters are given one metre of clearance and placed away from any combustible materials.
Management at the Pass Motor Inn couldn’t be reached for comment.