Area fire investigators are busy trying to determine the causes of a number of unrelated fires over the weekend.

A Beech Baron twin-engine plane caught fire at the Oliver airport shortly after 4 a.m. on Monday, with the cause not yet determined.

“Somebody heard a small explosion is what people have told me, and then saw the fire,” said Paul Dumoret, a member of the Oliver airport advisory committee. “The fire department came out rapidly and took good care of it to get it under control fairly quickly.”

Two planes parked nearby had to be pushed out of the way as the fire crew was worried that the fully engulfed plane that was full of fuel could spread flames to its neighbours parked on the apron. Dumoret said the plane, which he estimates to be worth $200,000, was completely destroyed by the fire. The plane was owned by a retired pilot from the Lower Mainland who was in the area visiting his father. The airport was closed at the time and no one was injured.

“We have no idea at this time what started it. I have heard of spontaneous situations like this which have been electrical issues but nothing of this magnitude. It is a piece of machinery so it could have been a number of things,” he said.

The Penticton Indian Band fire department was called to a structure fire on Westhills Drive shortly after noon on Saturday.

“There were flames coming out of the top two windows and the upper floor was pretty much destroyed,” said fire chief Barry Phillip. “It only took about 20 minutes to half an hour for the guys to extinguish and then there was a few hot spots.”

Phillip said it is still undetermined what caused the fire and no one was in the house at the time.

A vehicle caught fire and two sheds were completely destroyed in a blaze on Middle Bench Road in Keremeos on Thursday.

Keremeos firefighters responded to a call at 6:50 p.m. where plumes of black smoke clearly marked the structure fire on property that backs onto the rear of Oasis Park.

“Firefighters responded to find two sheds and adjacent cars engulfed in flames approximately 20 feet high. Although the fire was knocked down quickly, two sheds, eight-by-12 feet, were completely destroyed.  The fire is being investigated,” said Melanie Bagley, Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department public relations officer.