OPP are treating two deaths in Amherstview as suspicious after bodies were found in an apartment that caught fire.
Several emergency crews rushed to Manitou Crescent Wednesday evening to respond to the blaze. The road was closed in both directions, and police tape surrounded the building.
OPP confirmed Thursday that a 37-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man died during Wednesday night’s incident, but police wouldn’t specify if they died as a direct result of the fire or not.
“It’s a suspicious death, but we haven’t identified any public safety concerns at this time,” said Matt Watson, the OPP’s detective inspector.
Many neighbours told Global News on Thursday that the incident has shaken the community, and they are hoping for a thorough investigation.
“We were watching as the fire firefighter tried to gain access to the unit, and that’s when they went through the window; it might have been barricaded or something,” said Gail Rutherford, who lives feet away from the apartment building.
“Only God and those two know what happened,” said William Brownlee, who lives in the same complex.
On Thursday morning, the OPP forensics unit arrived on scene and spent much of the day collecting evidence.
Police say everyone else in the building has been accounted for, and no one was taken hospital, although it’s unclear whether everyone who lives in the building has been displaced and for how long.
Lennox and Addington OPP, along with the Office of the Fire Marshal, are investigating Wednesday night’s events.