Person dead after fire in N.B. cemetery shed, police investigating

Police in Woodstock, N.B., are investigating after a body was found in a cemetery shed following a fire Monday morning.

In a release, the Woodstock Police Force said they responded to a call about a shed on fire at the Methodist Cemetery property on Cemetery Street around 6:27 a.m.

“Members of the Woodstock Fire Department attended the scene and successfully extinguished the blaze,” the release said.

“During the inspection of the structure after the fire, the body of one person was discovered, leading the Woodstock Police Force to initiate an investigation into a sudden death.”

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

Police said they are collaborating with the New Brunswick Coroner Service, the fire marshal’s office, the fire department, RCMP K9 unit, and the Fredericton Police Force forensic identification section.

“Officers will remain in the area over the next several days, conducting a neighborhood canvass for video footage and witnesses,” it said.

This blaze comes just a day after another fire-related tragedy in New Brunswick. On Sunday, a 44-year-old man died of his injuries after a large fire broke out at a tent encampment in Saint John Saturday evening.

In an interview Monday, Woodstock Police Force deputy chief Mark Bennett could not say if the person who died Monday was experiencing homelessness, or if there was any criminality involved.

Further details about the victim’s identity were also unavailable, Bennett said.

“We are just in the beginning of the investigation to determine what happened,” he said. “We don’t know if it’s a homeless situation or not. … We’ll wait and we’ll certainly release anything else that we uncover.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Woodstock Police Force at 506-325-4601.