The Westbank Walmart was evacuated early Sunday afternoon after merchandise was set on fire. A small fire that forced the evacuation of the Westbank Walmart appears to have been deliberately set. The store on Louie Drive was evacuated shortly after noon yesterday after reports of a fire in the sporting goods department and a strong smell of burning plastic. The West Kelowna Fire Department responded to the scene. “The fire itself was really very small. It was like a single item of merchandise that was on fire and was put out by store employees upon our arrival, said Fire Chief Jason Brolud. “Really the biggest problem was the smoke and venting it out of the building,” he adds. Once the store was ventilated, staff and shoppers were allowed back inside. Castanet reached out to the West Kelowna RCMP for an update on the investigation into what appears to be an arson case. There was a much larger suspicious fire at the Westbank Walmart just over a year ago. Brolund said it started near a truck parked at a loading dock early on the morning of Sept. 1, 2021. That investigation is ongoing.
