Sask. small town reeling after house fire kills 2 seniors and 3 children

A Saskatchewan town of around 1,100 people is reeling after a house fire killed two seniors and three children.

Craik RCMP responded around noon CST on Sunday to a fire on Ottawa Street in Davidson, Sask., about 110 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon. The Davidson Volunteer Fire Department was already there when the Mounties arrived, according to an RCMP news release.

An 80-year-old man and an 81-year-old woman were removed from the house and brought to Davidson Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, police said. The remains of the three children were found after the fire was put out.

Neighbour Diane Taylor said she saw flames billowing from the roof of the home, where she had previously often seen a mother, a father and three boys.

"They biked on the sidewalks. They were great kids. They were very charismatic and very, very nice kids," Taylor said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "I don't think I've ever been so upset."

Police cordoned off the charred remains of the home with yellow tape. A swing set could be seen in the yard. A sign saying, "Our dogs live here," was posted on the back gate.

RCMP said late Monday afternoon that the fire was not suspicious and the police investigation had concluded. Police have not released the ages of the three children. Autopsies for all five of the dead are expected to take place later this week.

"It's devastating," Larry Packet, who runs a coffee shop and catering business in Davidson, told The Canadian Press.

Packet said the dead seniors were the children's grandparents. He said the grandparents were not from Davidson and were taking care of the children while the parents were out of town.

"I can't imagine what the parents are going through, and to lose the mother and father also," he said.

Packet said the parents had moved to the town about four years ago and ran a successful business. They were loving and kind, and fit easily into the close-knit community, he said.

Elaine Ebanel, Davidson's mayor, said the whole community is devastated by the deaths.

"Our hearts go out to the family," she said.

The mayor said she is also thinking of the local firefighters who were first on the scene.

Impact on first responders

Brian Starkell, the president of the Canadian Volunteer Firefighter Association, called the house fire a "horrible" incident. He said it will likely affect the volunteer firefighters, who also have other jobs.

"It could be anybody from a SaskTel employee to a plumber to a business owner to just a general worker in the town, could be a grocery store owner or a manager of the credit union or a bank," said Starkell, who lives in Nipawin, Sask.

"Once they find the deceased people, they have to assist the RCMP and the coroner to remove the bodies and get them into a safe spot. It's very emotional and very stressful on the firefighters."

Starkell said responding to a fire of this magnitude can also take an emotional toll on other first responders such as paramedics and RCMP.

He said strong emotions can start kicking in within 48 hours of responding to tragic incidents.

"That's when you'll start seeing trouble either at home, turning to alcohol, not showing up for working time, poor work practices," Starkell told CBC News on Monday

"It is Family Day today, we want [it] to be a happy day, not one full of negative emotions."

Starkell recommended that the Davidson Volunteer Fire Department bring in outside help such as a team from the Canadian Critical Incidents Stress Foundation, which provides certified instructors to debrief the first responders and their spouses. He said the fire department in Nipawin has used the services.

"We had more than one debriefing with the team, and they also did a follow up later on one-by-one, and then also a year later of the anniversary event they got a hold of us again to just see if there's any emotions flying at that time," Starkell said.

Starkell said he was extending his thoughts and prayers to Davidson.