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One person sent to hospital after fire near Keremeos

Fire ripped through a shed and Winnebego at Sunkatchers RV Park Co-operative
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A fire this morning at SunKatchers RV Co-op near Keremeos destroyed a motorhome. (Tara Bowie/Black Press)

One person was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation and minor burns after a fire at a trailer park near Keremeos on Wednesday morning.

Fire ripped through a shed and Winnebego at Sunkatchers RV Park Co-operative at 4155 Highway 3.

Neighbour Vicki Machett said she was working at her kitchen table around 11 a.m. when she heard screaming and saw fire shooting through a shed at the back of the property.

“I ran out and saw the smoke, heard screaming and called 911 right away,” she said while checking the damage to her property.

Machett said the owners, a retired couple from the Enderby area, had moved into the Winnebago this fall. She said they had plans of putting a more permanent structure on the property this spring.

A motorcycle could be seen in the charred remnants of the shed while another motorcycle parked outside received heavy damage. Each lot at the Sunkatchers Co-operative is divided by a cedar hedge. The hedges on the three sides were damaged.

“It was roaring pretty good when we got here,” said Keremeos fire chief Jordy Bosscha.

Bosscha pointed to a large propane tank parked next to the Winnebago and said the crew of nine firefighters had to work extra hard to keep it cool or it would have blown up.

“Motor home, travel trailer you name it they have a lot of combustible material that goes up quick and are usually parked close together,” said Bosscha. “That’s (the propane tank) large enough that if it had gone it would leveled several homes in the area and hurt many people.”

Bosscha said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.