The small Alberta community of Plamondon is shaken and grieving after two people died in a fire early Saturday morning.
The two victims are believed to be “an adult male and a child,” RCMP said in a news release.
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Lac La Biche RCMP and the Plamondon Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the hamlet at 12:45 a.m.
When they arrived on scene, the home was destroyed by flames.
A woman was airlifted to hospital. STARS air ambulance confirmed a 19-year-old woman was taken to the University of Alberta hospital in critical condition.
Two other people were found dead inside the home, RCMP said.
“My heart, our condolences, goes out to the people affected and our first responders too. It’s a devastating thing for them,” said Omer Moghrabi, mayor of Lac La Biche County.
“It’s difficult on a small community like this. Everybody knows everybody. We’re a large area but everybody knows everybody so you feel sad,” he added.
“As humans, we’re not built to lose your children so there’s no real way to cope. So all you do is you try.”
The Office of the Fire Commissioner and RCMP continue to investigate.
While RCMP said no other homes were affected by the fire, Global News observed some damage to the homes on each side.
The mayor said fire crews from about five different halls worked hard to contain the flames.
“They worked until I think five or six in the morning to reduce the damage, at the same time knowing there were some fatalities,” Moghrabi said.
Plamondon is a hamlet about 200 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. The mayor says about 400 people live there.
Moghrabi said after critical incident debriefing, grief counselling will be available.
The mayor said the community has experienced other tragedies recently and will be there for one another as best they can.
“You come together, you pick up stronger and support each other.”