The death toll from a Monday-morning house fire east of Duncan his risen to three from one, after two more bodies were found when crews were able to do a full check of the home, North Cowichan’s fire chief said Wednesday.
North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP initially said that at least one person was confirmed dead in the fire in the 1600-block of Maple Bay Road.
“After the Monday fire we had to hold the scene overnight,” Chief Ron French said. “We went back the next day to finish off the investigation and recovered another two victims. A total of three were lost.”
French said that a resident who got out safely and called 911 told firefighters that one of the victims was starting to come out, but went back down the hallway to try to help others and succumbed to the smoke.
The home, which had an upper suite and a basement suite, was “fully involved” when fire crews arrived, French said.
While the fire department has determined that the fire started in the living area of the basement suite, it hasn’t yet found the cause, he said.
The investigation is now in the hands of the coroner and the RCMP.
An online fundraiser has been launched for two tenants who survived the fire.
The GoFundMe page says Tom Kalmar and Leslie Cameron are looking for a new place to live and must now replace “a lifetime of possessions.”
“We would also like to take a moment to express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the lives lost in this fire,” the page said.
Two affiliated barber shops in the Cowichan area — the Society Barbershop & Cafe and Society at the Hall — will be giving their Nov. 9 profits to Kalmar and Cameron.
They will also be collecting donations.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the North Cowichan/RCMP at 250-748-5522.
