‘Seconds to get out’: Kelowna man who escaped burning building recounts incident
It’s been a week since a supposedly vacant building caught fire along Casorso Road in Kelowna, B.C.
Micheal Praught and his dog narrowly escaped serious injury as they fled the burning building Monday by jumping out of a second-story window.
“I mean, we only had a few seconds to get out,” Praught said. “There was just smoke, I couldn’t see anything. By the time I got out and got the dog out, it was over.”
Praught and his dog managed to reach a ledge on the second floor before passersby helped them down. The dramatic scene was caught on camera.
A woman was also inside at the time and managed to escape, but was seriously injured. Praught said the woman remains in hospital.
“My ex-girlfriend had to jump out of a second-story window like that. She broke her tailbone and has third-degree burns,” he said.
Latest news from Canada and around the world
sent to your email address, as it happens.
The building was believed to have been vacant for some time, but police told Global News they were trying to confirm whether squatters were in the residence, which neighbours believed to be the case.
“At the time, we didn’t know it was an occupied residence or a building that was occupied,” Fire Chief Larry Watkinson said Tuesday.
“We received reports from the owner confirming that no one was residing in this space.”
Praught, however, says he has lived there for nearly two years.
“Yeah, I was there full time doing security, more or less, I stayed there,” Praught said. “He gave me a good deal, I stayed there and took care of the property.”
Global News was unable to confirm Praught’s agreement with the property owner.
Two weeks before the fire, a neighbor contacted city officials to express concerns about the property and potential squatters in the area.
At that point, Praught said he received a warning to clean up a large number of tires adjacent to the building.
“Bylaw services have attended the Casorso property five times in the past two years,” the City of Kelowna said in an email to Global News.
“Four of these cases have been processed and closed. The fifth was opened in early July and was being processed before the fire.”
In the email, the city also describes how it addresses issues related to vacant buildings, including having regulatory departments respond to and investigate public complaints.
The city and fire department also provide a framework for how vacant properties should be maintained and if the owner fails to follow that framework, city staff can bring the property up to standard at the owner’s expense.
Meanwhile, Praught believes a cigarette thrown in the backyard may have started the fire, but an investigation is still ongoing.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
