ONEIDA NATION OF THE THAMES, Ont. – Ontario Provincial Police have identified five people who died in a fire that destroyed their home and ripped apart a First Nation community south of London, Ont.
Police say the house was fully engulfed, and five residents were unaccounted for when emergency workers arrived on the scene on the morning of Dec. 14.
READ MORE: 4 children and their father feared dead in First Nation house fire
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They say the remains of five people were located and have been identified as 43-year old Kurt Justin Antone, and four children – Keanu Antone, 7, Kenneth Antone, 4, Kance Antone, 3, and three-month old Kyias Antone.
Police, the Office of the Fire Marshal, Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario and others continue to investigate the origin and cause of the fire.
READ MORE: Feds don’t collect data on fires on First Nation reserves, minister says
Oneida Nation of the Thames Chief Randall Phillips said after the blaze that the two-storey home was old and “basically kindling.”
Last week, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said the federal government is determined to improve aboriginal housing.