A tragic house fire in Oshawa has claimed the lives of a 46-year-old mother and her 9-year-old daughter, while the father and older daughter remain in critical condition.
Emergency crews responded to the fire on McGrigor Street, near Centre and John Streets, just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
A 56-year-old man, the husband and father of the victims, and his 12-year-old daughter were rushed to hospital in critical condition. The 46-year-old woman and her nine-year-old daughter were pronounced dead.
Joan, a nearby resident who only provided her first name due to privacy concerns, described the terrifying scene.
She initially mistook the thick smoke for fog after stepping out of the shower. It was when she saw flames coming from the back of the house, she realized it was a fire.
“I saw lots of smoke and fire coming out the back—the flames were quite high,” she sad.
The fire continued for hours, and Joan saw firefighters carrying victims to ambulances. The area was locked down, with Centre Street completely blocked off. Multiple tanker trucks were deployed to the scene.
“The firemen were yelling for people to come to the window, trying to get the family out,” said Joan.
Fire Marshal Investigator Jim Gillespie said that working smoke alarms could have helped the family evacuate safely.
“If they had working smoke alarms, they should have been able to evacuate the house safely,” Gillespie said.
Investigators are now working to determine the cause of the fire. The investigation will include an assessment of fire patterns inside and outside the home, a review of any available video footage, and interviews with witnesses and firefighters.
“We have to decide whether or not the house can be made safe for an investigation,” Gillespie explained.
Due to the extent of the damage, officials expect the investigation to last for couple more days.