An Alberta man is mourning the loss of his wife, mother, friend and dog after a deadly house fire west of Edmonton over the weekend.
Parkland County RCMP said they were called to a house fire in the area of Darbyson Estates, near Gunn, Alta., at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. The area is on the north side of Lac Ste. Anne.
RCMP said multiple people were believed to be in the house, but the home was engulfed in flames.
“It came to us reported as a well-involved fire, advanced state already,” Lac Ste. Anne County Fire Chief Randy Schroeder said.
“Fire was described as coming out all the windows and the whole house was involved and our first two arriving engines had to conduct defensive operations.”
Wally Wemp was on the rural property late Saturday night. He said he and a friend were unloading heavy equipment from a truck when they realized the house was on fire.
Wemp said he ran to the house and tried to get in from both the front and back, but the smoke and flames were too much to handle. He couldn’t get inside to help his family.
“I figured I have to get in there and get my mother and my wife and my good buddy out (and) my dog. It was impossible to get in no matter how I tried,” he said Monday. “It was way too hot. I did my best. I couldn’t get in. There was roof pieces falling in, things blowing up — literally blowing up.”
“The very front entrance had dual French doors and the smoke — I tried to go in, I tried to stay down — impossible. I came out, smashed the windows, started yelling, flames shot out. I still kept trying to go in — impossible.
“I went to the back door. The back door was kicked in and the door just basically blew right off the hinges. It was so hot.
“I could just sit there and do nothing. I could hear screams and stuff, couldn’t get in.”
Wemp said his mother Barbara Ann Wemp, 82, wife Rochelle Aginas, 48, and friend Doug Patterson, 67, all died in the fire.
He said fire investigators told him a pot with wires in it was found on the stove. RCMP said the cause of the fire remains under investigation but at this time, it is not believed to have been intentional.
“I’m lost. I don’t even know what to do,” Wemp said. “I don’t know what’s left.
“It’s all finished. Dreams are done. I don’t know what to do.”
Once the fire was out, police said three bodies were found inside the home.
The RCMP has not released any further information about the victims, but said autopsies will be scheduled for a later date.
A total of 14 firefighters from three stations responded to the call.
“We had one firefighter with a minor injury who has since recovered,” Lac Ste. Anne County Fire Chief Randy Schroeder said.
“We extend our condolences to the family members that were certainly impacted, and the surrounding community.”
Lac Ste. Anne County Reeve Joe Blakeman said he did not know the people who died in the fire, but said the rural community will come together to support their loved ones.
“Like a typical rural community, everybody will get together and be strong and support the family that’s left in any way that we can.”
Lac Ste. Anne is located about an hour west of Edmonton.
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