Blaze on reserve kills one
Woman also injured in house fire at K'atlodeeche
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, February 20, 2017
K'ATLODEECHE/HAY RIVER RESERVE
One person died in a house fire on the Hay River Reserve and the Hay River Fire Department says a woman also sustained life-threatening injuries on Feb. 15.
A Feb. 15 fire at this house on the Hay River Reserve claimed the life of one person who has not been identified. A woman was also injured in the fire. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo |
The identity of the deceased person had not been officially released as of Feb. 17.
According to an RCMP news release, officers arrived on the scene at about 5:30 p.m. to find a house engulfed in flames.
The injured female was removed from the house on Wolf Drive by members of the Hay River Fire Department and transported to the Hay River Regional Health Centre for medical attention.
"Hay River Fire Department was able to contain the fire, and there was no damage to neighbouring properties," stated the news release from Marie York-Condon, a civilian member of the RCMP's G Division in Yellowknife. "Once the fire had been extinguished, Hay River Fire Department was able to enter the building and confirm one person was deceased inside."
As of the afternoon of Feb. 16, the RCMP was securing the scene and holding it pending the arrival of investigators.
The investigation are set to include the Hay River RCMP, the RCMP G-Division's forensic identification unit and major crimes unit, the Office of the Fire Marshal and the NWT Coroner Services.
York-Condon said weather conditions - ice and fog - in Yellowknife and Hay River contributed to a delay in the arrival of the investigators, who had not left Yellowknife as of early afternoon on Feb. 16.
"So until they've had an opportunity to attend the scene, we won't be releasing any further details," she told News/North.
"We did not use the words 'suspicious,' 'non-suspicious,' 'foul play' or 'foul play eliminated' because our team hasn't been able to assess that," she said.
"It would be misleading to say it is or is not any of those."
Hay River Fire Chief Ross Potter said his organization is also involved in investigating the fire.
Speaking on Feb. 16, Potter said he had nothing to report on the cause of the fire.
"We're still working on all that," he said.
Potter said the walls of the house were still standing after the fire.
"But the roof is burnt off of it in places," he said, adding the windows of the house are also broken.
Potter said all available members of the fire department responded to the fire.
