The cause of a fire in which four St. George, N.B., residents died has remained undetermined due to investigators being unable to find a single source of ignition.
On April 11, at approximately 12:25 p.m,. fire crews were called to a home on South Street to a fire that took the lives of Esther Boyd and her adult sons Davey, Billy and Robbie.
Originally released through a right to information request, the report by chief investigator Jeff Cross with the Fire Investigation Unit details the investigation process.
Though no definitive cause is given, the report hypothesizes “poor electrical housekeeping” is the one plausible explanation and says it was likely because of the “failure of some type of electrical component.”
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Cross writes a “tremendous amount of extension cords, power bars, power blocks, along with the various electrical/electronic devices” plugged in, “and more specifically within the area of origin” — identified in the report as being at the front left of the home.
The report gives an account of how the fire was first noticed and from there, details through interviews with fire crews, police, and other information paint a picture of how the investigation proceeded.
RCMP reported to Cross the neighbours next to the property saw “smoke coming from the chimney and the gable vent on the right side of the home,” and when one neighbour went to the front of the home, he noticed fire around the door prompting the call to 911.
When emergency officials arrived, the deputy chief of St. George Fire Department reported they forced their way through the front door and found fire in the room to the left and “extreme heat and small fire outside the front right bedroom on the second floor as well as a body. Crews then retreated downstairs and found three more bodies in the kitchen.
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“The three found in the kitchen were immediately removed to the outside where efforts were made to revive them unsuccessfully,” the report reads. “The body of [redacted] was removed following suppression of the fire at the front of the home.”
Blacks Harbour Fire Department told the chief investigator the fourth body had to be removed once it was safe to re-enter the home.
Investigation of the fire then proceeded with Cross leading a team into the home and assessing damages “from least to the most,” before identifying the front left room as the origin site.
“Debris from the room identified … was closely scrutinized through careful layering,” and the various electrical equipment was found. Cross wrote that the cords and power bars ran to various parts of the room and into other rooms, including two extension cords running to the back of the couch into a receptacle.
“The couch was removed after looking through all of the debris on and around it for a possible ignition source, to which nothing conclusive was found,” the report says. “The right half of the couch was largely consumed and once removed from the wall, it was evident that the point of origin was within this location.”
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St. George mourned the loss of the Boyds. A memorial held a few days later at two churches — one live, one live-streamed at an overflow church — saw more than 400 in attendance, including various fire crews, provincial politicians and Premier Brian Gallant.
Multiple sources confirmed to Global News that Esther and two of her boys didn’t go out much, but Davey was well-known in the community as an honorary firefighter.
Frequently seen around town, Davey had his own spot at a local restaurant and had been in attendance for the arrival of the community’s new fire truck earlier on the day of the fire. Shortly after his death, the fire department named the truck after Davey.
Details of the Boyds’ injuries and their cause of death are redacted in Cross’ report, but it was confirmed in April by RCMP that the family died of smoke inhalation.
In April, police also confirmed the fire was not considered suspicious.
Autopsies have been conducted on all four members of the family and results are expected in the next few months.
READ MORE: ‘The community’s grieving’: N.B. town mourns family lost in house fire
The Office of the Fire Marshal and Department of Justice and Public Safety are not commenting on the report.
“The Office of the Fire Marshal does not speak to the details of a specific investigation,” wrote Justice spokesperson Elaine Bell in an e-mail.
New Brunswick Association of Fire Prevention Officers president Rick Nicholson told Global News in a phone interview it’s important to be aware of the issues surrounding power cord usage.
“Extension cords are for temporary basis, not long-term as in going through walls, stapled to doors, et cetera, things like that,” said Nicholson, who is also fire chief for the Town of Woodstock. “It’s a fire hazard.”
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He said wear and tear can cause cords to fray and crack which could eventually start a fire.
Nicholson also emphasized the importance of using Canadian Standards Association approved electrical appliances, like power bars and extension cords, to ensure safety.
He added it’s important to have working smoke detectors in the home because they “save lives.”
Fredericton’s assistant deputy fire chief says items like power bars aren’t a bad thing to use, but ones with breakers are preferred as they can handle multiple plug-ins.
“Power bars are very much preferred to extension cords that have multiple plug-ins where you know you’ll have one plug-in that plugs into the wall,” said David McKinley.
He says it’s not about how many appliances are running off one power bar but the electrical load, which is why having a circuit breaker built in can be helpful.
“If the devices that are plugged into the power bar are drawing too much power then it will kick-it-out without even kicking out your breaker in the house,” McKinley said.
He also echoed Nicholson’s words saying only CSA power bars should be used.
St. George officials have told Global News a memorial walk called the “Light Up The Night Walk” will take place Aug. 17 as part of the town’s Blueberry Festival to honour the Boyd family. Firefighters and the public are invited to walk behind the truck that now bears Davey’s name.
—With files from Adrienne South, Global News
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