3 killed in house fire on Vancouver Island

Three people were found dead in a fire at a rental house on Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Investigators believe one of the victims initially escaped the fire, but ran inside to save the others before being overwhelmed by the smoke.

“If you can get out, get out and don’t come back in,” North Cowichan Fire Department Chief Ron French said in an interview Wednesday.

First responders were called to the large residential area in the 1600 block of Maple Bay Road, northeast of Duncan, around 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Later that day the local RCMP detachment said “at least one person was pronounced dead at the scene.” But on Wednesday, RCMP and the BC Coroners Service confirmed the bodies of three people were found in the home.

None of the victims have been publicly identified.

French said the fire is believed to have started in the living room of the downstairs rental apartment, where up to five people are believed to be living.

According to the fire chief, one of those residents was not home at the time and the other two initially fled when the fire broke out.

“From what we can tell, one of the people living there was woken up by a man coming out,” French said. he said. “But he went in to wake the other two and succumbed to the smoke.”

Brianna Cameron, the couple’s daughter who lives in the upstairs suite, said her parents rented the entire house and rented the downstairs suite to a middle-aged couple and at least one other person.

He said his father, Tom Kalmar, had just gone to work and his mother, Leslie Cameron, had gone to yoga when the fire broke out.

The fire chief said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“Initially, we always look at this as a suspicious fire until we determine what happened, but we don’t know what happened before the fire started,” French said. he said.

“With so much fire loss, it’s hard to determine exactly what started the fire. We have a location but can’t confirm what happened.”

Due to the severity of the fire, investigators were unable to determine whether the suite had working smoke alarms.

The fire chief said authorities were still working to confirm who was renting the downstairs suite and who was staying the night.

“It’s hard to tell who’s actually on the lease to be there,” French said. “We’re spending some time learning the real story of what happened in the basement.”

The fire scene was handed over to the police and insurance teams.

Cameron said his parents moved into the house two years ago to be closer to their children, while the downstairs residents moved in about six months ago.

“Everyone helped us and wrapped us in such a blanket of love,” Cameron said, adding that his parents now live with him after losing everything in the fire.

Firefighters from the neighboring communities of Maple Bay, Crofton and Chemainus were called to assist with initial fire response.

Anyone with information about the fatal fire is asked to contact North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522.