The Calgary Police Service’s (CPS) homicide unit has taken over the investigation into three bodies that were found inside a burning vehicle on in the northwest community of Sage Hill on Monday.
Firefighters were called to the 100 block of Sage Bluff Circle N.W. at around 7 a.m.
Police said fire crews discovered the bodies inside the vehicle after putting out the fire.
They said that “based on the circumstances,” the investigation has been handed over to homicide investigators.
“It really is just the circumstances of three deceased persons in a vehicle, with fire used to conceal whatever is inside that vehicle, which certainly leads us to believe that the circumstances are suspicious,” said the CPS major crimes unit’s Acting Insp. Paul Wozney.
Investigators have determined the bodies are of a male, a female and a third person they believe is a second female, police said in an update.
“Based on the size of the deceased persons inside, we believe that they are adults,” Wozney said.
WATCH: Calgary police believe the three bodies found after a car fire in Sage Hill are of a male and two females.
Wozney said investigators aren’t prepared to speak about where in the car the bodies were found.
He said the vehicle, a black 2011 Chevrolet Cruz, was registered to a person that had a criminal history in the jurisdiction. They have yet to track down the person the car was registered to.
Despite the fire having been in a relatively new area that’s “off the beaten path,” Wozney said CPS are also looking for any CCTV camera footage that may have caught any suspicious activity in the area, or the fire itself.
“For every investigation that we conduct, we’re always hopeful that there’s CCTV involved,” he said.
“There are a lot of cameras in Calgary that point in a lot of different directions and we’re hopeful that those cameras were able to pick up some images that would help.”
WATCH: CPS insp. Paul Wozney says registered owner of burnt vehicle has history in Calgary
Carol Henke with the Calgary Fire Department said supports are being made available for the firefighters that arrived at the scene and found the car ablaze before discovering the bodies inside.
“When a vehicle is on fire you can’t see inside at all — you can’t see anything — so they actually didn’t [see] until they did a search of the vehicle once the fire was out, that there were people inside,” she said.
WATCH: Carol Henke from the Calgary Fire Department explains that crews didn’t know there were people inside a burning car until the fire was out.
Khalid Mir, a nearby resident, captured video of the burning car.
“I was making breakfast then saw the fire then I heard the siren and then I started making video,” Mir said. “Very scared right now.”
“I heard something like ‘bang’ and that’s it,” said Thelma Luna, whose backyard faces the crime scene. “I fell asleep and I didn’t try to look out the back and we woke up with a police officer at the front of my house.”
“We love this neighborhood, we’ve never heard of this before but we’re not naive to think it doesn’t happen everywhere,” said Allan MacDonaldwho lives nearby. “Another reminder to keep our eyes peeled and be safe and protect what’s important.”
Anyone with information or video of the fire is asked to call the Calgary Police Service non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or contact Crime Stoppers.