Stolen property was found when police and firefighters attended a fire at the Pleasant View Motel on Jan. 24.
The structure fire was reported at 12:18 in Unit 4 of the motel on Highway 97. The unit is in a four-suite building
Police say witnesses saw the blaze and attempted to put out the fire. The tenant and her three guests had left by the time firefighters and police had arrived. Tenants in the three attached units also left without injuries.
Two of the units at the motel were damaged as a result of the fire.
Summerland fire chief Glenn Noble said the fire was extinguished within half an hour. The fire was caused by food left unattended on the stove top.
Cpl. Dan Moskaluk of the Penticton RCMP said police located a large amount of stolen property at the unit.
As the firefighters removed items from the motel room, police officers quickly recognized some from recent thefts in Summerland and Penticton. The items suspected of being stolen included several bicycles, golf clubs, power tools, a computer and hockey equipment.
Only one item was confirmed as stolen and is being returned to the owner.
The incident is still under investigation.
Moskaluk urges people to record and keep a list of valuable items, including serial numbers and other identifiers that could be used to return lost or stolen property.