Kelowna's heritage society had a major loss this morning. The Fleming House along the Rail Trail went up in flames.
"That building actually sustained a fire about a year and a half ago," says Bob Hayes, President of the Kelowna Chapter of the Okanagan Historical Society. "I would say it's pretty much a write off. The roof the City put on is gone. The logs are all badly charred."
Hayes says the property has a long history in Kelowna.
"It was actually, originally the Brent House. Fredrick Brent and his wife had the first mill here. They were originally at the south end of Duck Lake in 1865. Then about 1870 they moved to roughly where Walmart is now, in that area. They built their mill there and the house. It's the oldest grist mill in British Columbia."
Hayes says the mill was not damaged in the fire. He's also hoping this is a wake up call for the city.
"The city needs to get somebody on site there, Hayes says. "The house is a huge loss. The mill would be, to me, an unbelievable loss.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.