A four-year-old boy died during a fire that destroyed his family’s home in Dunham overnight Friday-Saturday and sent his mother and two-year old brother to hospital.
According to the Sûreté du Québec, the boy’s body was pulled from the two-storey home at around 4:30 a.m. The mother and sibling were treated for smoke inhalation and at last report were listed in stable condition.
The children’s father was not at home when the fire broke out but arrived soon after and was treated for shock.
“The mother was asleep with her two young children when the fire detectors and smoke detectors, went off,” said SQ Sgt. Daniel Thibodeau. “She did her best to get out the door and was able to get out with her youngest of two years, however the four-year-old got lost in the smoke,” Thibodeau said.
Police said they couldn’t confirm the exact cause of the fire, but investigators believe an electrical problem may have played a role.
Firefighters from Cowansville, Bedford, Sutton and other nearby municipalities were called in to help put out the blaze.
“Since we don’t have a water main system here in Dunham, we needed a water supply,” said Dunham Fire Department Director Patrick Cournoyer. There was nothing we could have done to save the home by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.
A neighbour called 911 after noticing smoke billowing from the residence.
Police investigating
The home, which is valued at about $250,000-$300,000, was completely destroyed.
The incident occurred about a week after a mother and her one-year-old twin girls died in a kitchen fire.
Four-year old killed in Dunham blaze
By newsroom
