Quebec: House fire leads to demise of 6, including 4 children

A fire that erupted at a residence in Sainte-Jacques, in Quebec’s Lanaudiere region, Thursday morning led to the demise of six people, four of which were children under the age of eight years, Quebec provincial police spokesperson Eloise Cossette stated Thursday afternoon.

The house fire at a home located in Rang du Cordon, near Moncharme St, was reported to the authorities at around 1:00 am, by 4:00 am, when the firefighters arrived, the house had been completely demolished, Cossette stated.

The deceased, who were taken to a laboratory for formal identification, were all sleeping when the fire occurred, the Quebec Provincial Police spokesperson added.

The remains of the house were rummaged through by Major crimes investigators allotted to the case, who also spoke to neighbours to ascertain the cause of the fire. The cause of the house fire, as of now, remains unclear, Cossette added.

“It’s still unexplained…We haven’t found anything suspicious regarding the cause of the fire at this point,” Cossette stated.

The residence is located in a small community of just about 400 people.

“It’s a small community here, it’s really hard for us,” St-Jacques Mayor Josianne forest said about the incident.