Jun 03 – 2026 – Wolfgang Depner and Marissa Birnie/The Canadian Press

The City of Penticton has declared a local state of emergency after a massive fire at the site of a long-term care home triggered the evacuation of multiple properties.

The city says the fire at 453 Green Avenue was reported around 10 p.m. Wednesday at the construction site for the three-storey wood-frame structure.

The blaze quickly escalated into a three-alarm fire, triggering a response from 60 firefighters.

The city said Thursday that it had activated its emergency operations centre and is issuing an updated evacuation order for 10 properties around the site of the fire.

It says the presence of an unstable crane used in the construction process at the site continues to pose a safety risk.

Health Minister Josie Osborne said the fire will reset the project, and is “devastating” to seniors in the region.

The destruction of the 200-bed project is another potential blow to the supply of long-term care beds in B.C. after the government cancelled construction contracts on several care-home projects earlier this year.

Osborne says the fire will require “coming back with a sense of urgency” to build more long-term care homes quickly.

Fire crews initially evacuated 16 homes in anticipation of the fire’s spread, with four sustaining damage, and the city says residents outside of the evacuation area are free to return home.

No one was injured.

Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma also said the fire was devastating, both for residents who had to evacuate their homes, as well as seniors waiting to move in.

Ma said Kaigo Senior Living had submitted an insurance claim in relation to the fire, but it was unclear how much the claim was worth.

“Our government will work with them to understand the impacts on the timeline,” Ma said, adding that it’s too early to understand how the fire will affect the planned 2028 opening.

Ma said the project was about six months into construction, and was considered to be in the early stage, with only the building’s framing completed.

“We’re committed to ensuring that this project gets built,” she said.

Read the full article at nsnews.com.