Hamilton’s public school board says two of four people who died in a tragic Mountain fire last Thursday were students at Adelaide Hoodless Elementary School.
In a letter to parents, principal Nanci-Jane Simpson shared condolences and revealed that a critical incident response team will be available Monday to support students, if needed.
“I am very sad to share three of the lives lost were those of Lambeau and Khaleesi McIsaac and their mother Kassie Chrysler,” Simpson said in her letter.
“Lambeau was a student in Ms. Woods-Claybourne’s grade 3 class and Khaleesi was a student is Ms. DeSantis’ grade two class.”
The school on Maplewood Avenue will also lower the school’s outdoor flag in memory of the loss.
Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) confirmed on Tuesday that the Dec. 29, 2022 fatal blaze at a Hamilton townhouse started in a sofa on the main floor and that smoke alarms at the home were not working.
The cause is still not definitive, but the OFM said the office’s on-scene probe has been completed with a lab analysis still pending.
Hamilton Chief Dave Cunliffe said its fire prevention division is looking through evidence with Hamilton police and the city’s legal team to see if any potential charges may be warranted.
Under the Ontario Fire Code, owners of structures are responsible for fire safety systems, including working smoke alarms and seal alarms.
The fire started at the southeast residence late Thursday and involved six people, residing on the second floor, who were taken to hospital.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for costs associated with end-of-life arrangements has been set up by the mother of a friend of the deceased with permission from the children’s grandmother.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the campaign had raised about a fifth of the $25,000 target.