Quebec provincial police (SQ) investigating a deadly fire in Cap-Chat, almost 500 kilometres northeast of Quebec City, said the cause of the blaze was likely accidental.
“There is no criminal element, it appears to be accidental,” said SQ spokesperson Sgt. Claude Doiron.
Doiron said the blaze may have been caused by a kitchen fire, but cautioned that the investigation was still ongoing.
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READ MORE: Woman, 2 young children dead after house fire in eastern Quebec
Emergency services were called to the fire at about 4 a.m. Sunday.
The blaze, in a four-unit residential building, claimed the life of a 37-year-old mother and her one-year-old twin girls.
Earlier reports said there were no smoke detectors inside the home, but Doiron said smoke detectors had been found but were non-functional.
Carol Dugas of Cap-Chat’s fire department said firefighters in the tight-knit community of 2,500 were shaken by Sunday’s tragedy and that counselling was being offered.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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