Fireworks shot from moving vehicle on Westside Road, wildfire sparks hours later

October 18, 2025

Fireworks shot from moving vehicle on Westside Road, wildfire sparks hours later

A normally dark stretch of Westside Road was suddenly lit up Tuesday night, not by streetlights, but by a burst of colorful sparks shot from a moving vehicle.

Deena Johansen was behind the wheel when it happened and watched it all unfold from her rearview mirror.

“I was shocked. My heart was racing,” she said. “I jerked my wheel. I was very thankful I wasn’t on one of the very narrow parts of Westside Road.”

Startled by what she saw, Johansen pulled over to check for flames.

“I was like, this is going to start a fire,” she recalled. “I just had a weird feeling that something bad was going to happen from it.”

Hours later, a grass fire was spotted near Bear Creek Provincial Park, the same area where Johansen had seen the fireworks. While fire officials haven’t officially linked the blaze to the incident, the timing and location have raised concerns.

“We responded alongside other regional fire departments in support of the wildfire service to put out what was a rapidly growing wildfire,” said West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund.

The fire is now extinguished and is suspected to be human-caused.