On October 26, 2022, at approximately 8:40 pm, officers from the Thompson RCMP detachment were dealing with a call in the 100 block of Queens Bay when they heard noise coming from a home further down the street. A significant amount of smoke could also be seen coming from the residence.
Officers, along with Thompson Fire and Emergency Services, arrived on scene to find a residence fully engulfed in flames. A 41-year-old female resident who had escaped the fire, informed officers that she had been in the basement with a 62-year-old male when they heard the sound of a fire upstairs.
They made it to the main floor before they were forced to exit the home due to the extent of the smoke and fire. She also advised the officers that her 13-year-old daughter had climbed out of the 2nd floor window and jumped to escape the fire but that four of her children were still inside the home on the 2nd floor.
Once the fire was brought under control, firefighters entered the residence and located the four children: a 10-year-old female, 9-year-old male, 7-year-old male and 4-year-old male. All were transported to hospital but later succumbed to injuries sustained in the fire. The two adults and 13-year-old female were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Thompson RCMP along with the Office of the Fire Commissioner continue to investigate.
"I offer my sincere condolences to the family, to the community, and to everyone who is grieving today. This is a heartbreaking tragedy that will have a lasting impact on so many within Thompson and throughout the entire province," said Assistant Commissioner Rob Hill, Commanding Officer of the Manitoba RCMP.
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