A deadly house fire in Oshawa shattered a family, tragically killing a mother and her young daughter Wednesday morning and injuring the husband and older daughter.
Durham Regional Police say their officers responded to the two-alarm fire at 70 McGrigor St. – near King St. W. and Centre St. S. – just after 8 a.m. and found the man outside. He informed them that his wife and two girls were still in the home.
Police officers used extinguishers to battle the flames until firefighters arrived and seven officers were later treated for smoke inhalation.
“Our crews encountered heavy smoke and flames coming from the main floor and the second floor,” Deputy Chief Todd Wood, of Oshawa Fire Services, said. “And offensive (firefighting) operations stated immediately.
“In the midst of our primary search we located three victims on the upper floor,” said Wood. “One was removed down the stairs and out through the front door.
“And two were removed from the (upper) windows.”
Video obtained by CTV Toronto showed a firefighter on a ladder outside the second-storey front window cradling a person in their arms, believed to be one of the daughters, before placing their air mask over their face.
Wood said that a 46-year-old woman was later pronounced dead along with her nine-year-old daughter. A 12-year-old girl and 56-year-old man were also rescued from the house and are now in a hospital.
Fire investigator Jim Gillespie, of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office, said the home was severely damaged inside and that the probe into the cause and origin of the fire will look at whether smoke alarms were in working order.
“There is significant structural damage to the inside of the house,” said Gillespie. “The second floor has collapsed into the main floor. And the main floor has partially collapsed into the basement.
“There is some indication that one of the occupants was awoken by smoke alarms, but we haven’t confirmed whether they were working or not,” said Gillespie.
Nancy Strange, who lives a few doors away from the home that caught fire, was almost in tears while explaining what she saw as the fire and smoke filled her neighbourhood.
“I was just petrified,” said Strange. “I heard glass breaking and smoke from my upstairs window.
“My heart just dropped when they brought the child out. And its unfortunate because it is March Break. Because probably if it wasn’t March Break those kids wouldn’t be there.”