Front Page News

The B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed the identities of three peoeple who died in the crash of a small airplane near Peachland on Sunday.
The pilot of the Beaver plane that went down just off the Coquihalla Highway was Colin Moyes, aged 52, from West Vancouver.
His two passengers were a couple also from West Vancouver, Peter Brooke Lovelace Keate, 81, and Inez Helen Keate, 79.
The three were killed when the plane, owned by Moyes, crashed into a steep, wooded hillside just off Highway 97C near Brenda Mine
Road about 6:45 p.m.. It had taken off from Okanagan Lake only a few minutes earlier and was bound for the Pitt Meadows Airport where Moyes kept it.
The three were recovered from the wreckage by the Coroners Service specialized Identification and Disaster Response Unit. The identities of the three persons were confirmed by dental records.
The families of Moyes and of the Keates have been notified of their deaths.

THE CANADIAN PRESS
KELOWNA — Three people are confirmed dead in the crash of a float plane that went down as horrified onlookers watched it burst into flames in southern British Columbia.
“Our information is that, tragically, none survived the accident,” Transportation Safety Board spokesman Bill Yearwood said Monday.
He confirmed the de Havilland Beaver aircraft went down just before 7 p.m. Sunday, only minutes after takeoff from Okanagan Lake, near the community of Peachland, 25 kilometres southwest of Kelowna.
The aircraft was heading to its home base of Pitt Meadows, about 40 kilometres east of Vancouver when it slammed into a steep, wooded hillside along Highway 97C and caught fire.
Five people were initially thought to be on the plane but Yearwood said new details emerged about the passenger list.
“There were four on board when they left Pitt Meadows. It had originally planned to have five, but plans changed, and one was left in Kelowna, so three were on the return flight,” he said.
“We know the aircraft was returning (to Pitt Meadows) and it was close to the summit of the pass,” Yearwood said, “but there is no information to help us, at this point, as to what the pilot was experiencing.”
The coroner and two TSB inspectors were due to arrive at the crash site on Monday, and Yearwood said there was little information about the victims or the aircraft.

A float plane carrying five people on their way back to the Lower Mainland from Okanagan Lake crashed just off Highway 97 near Brenda Mines Sunday night and burst into flames.
A spokesman with the Transportation Safety Board said there was a report of fatalities, but couldn’t confirm how many.
“There was a post-crash fire,” said Chris Krepski from the TSB.
Horrified motorists, who saw the de Havilland Beaver go down in a heavily wooded area about 200 metres below the Okanagan Connector around 6:45 p.m., reported the crash to RCMP.
Smoke and flame was visible from the highway.
Police said two witnesses saw the plane heading toward Peachland when it went down, possibly meaning the pilot detected a problem and had turned around.
The coroner is on the way to the scene.
The B.C. Ambulance, Kelowna Fire Department and Kelowna RCMP also attended the scene.
In addition, two search and rescue aircraft — a Cormorant helicopter and a Buffalo airplane — were dispatched to the from CFB Comox.

By David Wylie
— With files from The Vancouver Province

UPDATE: The water main break that temporarily closed Parkinson Recreation Centre earlier today has been repaired. The weight room and gymnasium will open to the public at 5 p.m. The pool will to the open for public swimming at 7 p.m.

 “While the facility is open tonight for dry land fitness and pool users, all programs scheduled out of the facility have been cancelled for the rest of the day,” says Don Backmeyer, Sport & Event Development Manager. “Our programs and scheduled activities will resume tomorrow as normal.”

 City crews were able to shut off the water supply to isolate and fix the watermain break safely and efficiently.

12:33 The City of Kelowna has temporarily closed the Parkinson Recreation Centre due to an outdoor water main break. Effectively immediately, the facility is closed and all programming scheduled to take place today has been cancelled. 

“We realize this closure is an inconvenience to our customers,” says Don Backmeyer, Sport & Event Development Manager. “Our crews are onsite and working to fix the break and restore water to the facility as quickly as possible.”

To access the water main break and fix the problem, the lawn and sidewalk in front of the facility are being excavated and water has been cut to the facility, which is prompting the full facility closure.

Once the break has been fixed, the facility’s water system will be tested before reopening the facility.

For updates on this closure, contact the Parkinson Recreation Centre at 250-469-8800, or visit kelowna.ca/recreation.

UPDATE: The state of emergency has been lifted in West Kelowna following flooding this morning.

9 a.m – The District of West Kelowna is declaring a Local State of Emergency and evacuating six properties along Hitchner Road due to flooding of McDougall Creek.

Wednesday night, a dike along McDougall Creek near Hitchner Road was breached by high stream flow which resulted in the creek flow being redirected through an orchard and flooding four homes, with four more in jeopardy of being flooded if water flow increases. The evacuated homes are between 3982 and 4040 Hitchner Road and 1860 Jennens Road.

The Regional Emergency Plan has been enacted and a Level 1 Emergency Operations Centre has been activated.

Currently, West Kelowna Fire Rescue crews are on scene working to protect the homes and return the creek to its natural course. 

Emergency Support Services established a Reception Centre at the Best Western Hotel, 3460 Carrington Road to receive and assist evacuees.

The Emergency Operations Centre and West Kelowna Fire Rescue are carefully watching the situation and will advise the public if any other properties are in danger of flooding. The public and media can access information on the new Regional Emergency Program website at www.cordemergency.ca.

Reader-submitted photo by Dawn Petrin of Monday night's house fire on Ethel Street in downtown Kelowna. Full details on the blaze in the morning print edition.