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UPDATE: Vernon gymnastics club flares up again

Five-year-old member cried all the way to Armstrong after seeing her ‘favourite place’ destroyed

UPDATE: 9:37 a.m.

Vernon firefighters have extinguished the hot spot just after 9:30 a.m. after it flared up early Tuesday morning.

UPDATE: 9:06 a.m.

The debris and remains of the North Valley Gymnastics Club has flared up Tuesday morning.

Vernon Fire Rescue Services were called back to the scene of the Halloween blaze that destroyed the building Nov. 2 around 9 a.m.

Reports of visible flames and smoke triggered the response and once firefighters arrived on scene, they confirmed the flare up.

ORIGINAL:

Driving to grandma’s house to trick-or-treat Sunday, little Eira Callender’s excitement was snuffed by horror as she saw what happened to her beloved gymnastics club.

Still smoking from an early-morning fire Oct. 31, the damage caused the five-year-old’s eyes to swell with tears.

“She started naming off all the things she liked to do there like the balance beam and trampoline, and that it’s her favourite place,” mom Jess Morgan said.

“She cried from Vernon to Armstrong when we found out.”

For the thousands of children who are or have been members of the gym, it was devastating to learn that the facility burned down.

READ MORE: Vernon gymnastics facility completely lost to fire

The entire community has been in shock over the blaze, which the cause has been undetermined. But no one more than the North Valley Gymnastics Society.

“We are heartbroken by the fire that has completely destroyed our building.”

Families with the club will be contacted in the next few weeks as the society figures out the next steps.

“Thank you to our gymnastics community and Vernon for their support and patience,” the society said on its website under a photo of firefighters battling the fire.

The society worked tirelessly for years to find its own gym, after renting spaces that were too small and inadequate for the growing membership.

They were able to purchase the former RV shop and renovate it before opening in 2019.

Fundraising efforts still continued as the club raised money for a foam pit, equipment and more.

READ MORE: Gymnasts finally find a home


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Jennifer Smith

About the Author: Jennifer Smith

Vernon has always been my home, and I've been working at The Morning Star since 2004.
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