CALGARY — There were no smoke detectors inside the home east of Calgary where three young adults were found dead following a house fire on Saturday.
Gleichen RCMP were called around 7:30 a.m. to help the Siksika and Cluny Fire departments with the fire on Siksika Nation, located east of Calgary. Once extinguished, the bodies of two 28-year-old men and a 25-year-old woman were found dead.
RCMP were called to a home on the reserve by neighbours who saw smoke at about seven Saturday morning.
Fire Chief Tom Littlechild says the victims were found in the bedrooms, but notes that most of the fire damage was limited to the kitchen and living room areas.
Mounties say it appears the fire started inside the home and does not appear to be suspicious.
Littlechild said at this point it looks like the gas was completely shut off and power was partially shut off in the home, allowing only 15 Amps. This allows for running the furnace only.
So if anyone had been trying to use any other power, it would have overloaded the breaker and if you switch the breaker back on it over heats and can cause a fire, Littlechild said.
Tom Littlechild says there were no working smoke detectors in the home. The wires were dangling from the ceiling.
READ MORE: Fatal first nation fire highlights the importance of working smoke detectors
Littlechild has sent the electrical panel away to be looked at.
A vigil will be held Sunday night at 6 p.m. with family of the three victims.
The three bodies were taken to the medical examiner’s office in Calgary where autopsies will be performed early next week to determine an exact cause of death. All three victims were residents of Siksika Nation.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation and RCMP said it would not have anyone available to comment on the fatalities until Monday.
The Siksika Nation is located about an hour southeast of Calgary.
The director of emergency services for the Siksika Nation east of Calgary is stressing the importance of smoke detectors following the deaths of three people in a fire Saturday.
Littlechild says the victims were found in the bedrooms, but notes that most of the fire damage was limited to the kitchen and living room areas.
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