Fort Smith (Feb 16/04) - A respected Fort Smith elder is believed to have been killed in a Feb. 11 house fire.

It has been more than a decade since the last fire fatality in the community.

Firefighters discovered a badly-burned body in the residence at 11 Dickens St. while battling the blaze.

The victim is believed to be Harvey "Baby" Wabesca, 56, who lived alone in the house.

However, RCMP had not officially named the victim as of Friday. Final identification will be based on dental records and is not expected until this week.

The Major Crime Unit of the RCMP has determined no foul play was involved in the death. As of Friday, the cause of the fire had not been determined by the Fire Marshal.

Flames and smoke were visible from windows when firefighters arrived at the burning building, which Fire Chief Darren Linaker described as a small, one-storey dwelling.

The blaze was brought under control relatively quickly, Linaker said, adding, "It was during active firefighting operations that we located a victim."

The house was left standing but was gutted by the blaze.

Firefighters were conducting a routine practice when the fire call was received at 7:43 p.m. Because of that, they were already in gear and the trucks were already out of the fire hall. Linaker said their response time was therefore as fast as possible.

The RCMP are assisting the coroner with his investigation and an autopsy has been ordered.