Two people have died after a fire in a remote Northern Ontario community, says Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus.
Nishnawbe Aski Police Service says it's investigating a "major house fire" that happened late yesterday evening (Feb. 1).
"A scene has been established and members of the NAPS Northeast Crime Unit are leading the investigation," reads a news release issued today (Feb. 2).
The Ontario Fire Marshal is also involved in the investigation.
While Angus has been travelling back to the riding from Ottawa today, he said he has reached out to the community.
This tragedy comes nearly one year to the day of a house fire that killed a 10-year-old girl in the community that is about 30 kilometres south of Hudson's Bay.
Fire safety and access to proper resources have been an ongoing challenge for the First Nation.
"When the fire broke out that took that 10-year-old’s life, they were fighting that fire with fire extinguishers,” said Angus.
In 2022, Indigenous Services Canada approved cash for a new fire truck in the community. The delivery wasn't expected until March 2023, TimminsToday has not been able to confirm if the truck has been delivered yet.
Without a fire hall, there is also no place for a truck to be parked.
"It’s like nickel and diming services. People in the community were concerned … you need inspections for chimney, for electrical, standard fire safety and they don’t have any resources because they don’t have money for a fire chief and this is the situation in many of the communities right now," said Angus.
Earlier this week, Angus spoke in the House of Commons about the need for fire safety in Treaty 9 First Nations.
Angus said he was going to follow up and sit down with Minister of Indigenous Services Canada Patty Hajdu.
"But now obviously we’re going to be sitting down because we just lost two more people,” he said.
