A small New Brunswick town is mourning the loss of a family following a house fire that occurred Tuesday afternoon.
Police have said that autopsies are being done on the bodies of three men and a woman after they were discovered following the fire on South Street in St. George, N.B.
New Brunswick RCMP Const. Isabelle Beaulieu told The Canadian Press that foul play was not suspected but that they are still investigating.
The fire was first called in around 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
Neighbour Eleanor Blackier, who lives across the street, said an older woman lived in the home with her three sons, all of whom Blackier described as grown men with mental challenges.
Blackier said she spotted smoke pouring from the front door of the home around noon.
“I was going to the store when I noticed the fire,” she said.
“There are tall stairs leading up to the main door and there was smoke billowing out through the door … You could see where smoke had come out around the windows. They were all discoloured from the smoke.”
Blackier told The Canadian Press that her neighbour, Esther Boyd, was a quiet, hardworking woman who had lived in the neighbourhood with her sons for many years.
Rodney R. Munn, who is originally from St. George, told Global News that he knew the family, including Davey Boyd, one of Esther’s sons who, according to Mayor Crystal Cook, was an “honorary member” of the town’s fire department over the last 30 years.
“Davey Boyd was ubiquitous,” Munn said. “You would always see him in his firefighter’s uniform. He would walk around the day, every day. It was a daily routine for him.”
Munn currently teaches English in Saudi Arabia, but said he tries to visit his home every summer. He said he would see Davey’s brothers as well, but “Davey was the one who everybody would see.”
“He always called me ‘Sir’ whenever I saw him… from the time that I was quite young,” Munn said. “He wouldn’t say much, but I got used to saying ‘Hi’ to him over the years and he would always respond with ‘Hello sir.’ He would have a little laugh or chuckle with me about something.”
Mayor Crystal Cook told Global News the community is “grieving.”
“We’re all having a hard time coming to terms with it,” she said in a phone interview.
Cook said that she was at the town office around lunchtime because a new fire truck had been delivered to the town. The “honorary firefighter” was at the office having his picture taken with the truck “grinning ear to ear.”
“And literally, he went home and the call came in not long after that,” Cook said.
Cook said she did not know the family, but knew the firefighter for a short time and said he was “dedicated.”
“He was here every day. He was here every weekend washing the truck. He loved being part of the firefighting team. He lived for it.”
She told Global News that they have set up a critical incident debriefing for Tuesday night for them. Cook said they’ve also arranged for another fire department to cover the area for a few days “so they can have time to grieve.”
She hopes the community “comes together” to support each other.
A statement from the town also acknowledged the community had “faced a tragedy,” and its concern was with the fire department which ” now need our support.”
“It will be a tough journey in the coming days, but we are going to do it together,” the statement reads.
Fundy-The Isles-Saint John West MLA Rick Doucet told Global News that it’s a “real sad, sad day” in the community.
“They were all very well-known in the community,” Doucet said. “They all looked out for them.”
“One was an honorary firefighter and I think it was a very hard day for all of them today.”
He said the woman who was found – identified by Blackier as Esther –was an “absolute trooper.”
—With files from The Canadian Press
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