2 die in mobile home fire near Quebec City
Two people were found dead after an overnight mobile home fire in Sainte-Marie, Que., about 50 kilometres south of Quebec City.
Authorities were alerted to the fire at around midnight Saturday and two bodies were found inside the structure, according to Sgt. Louis-Philippe Bibeau, spokesperson for provincial police.
The home was completely ravaged by the fire, leaving nothing but charred wood framing, melted roof tiles and glassless windows.
More than 30 firefighters responded to the fire, but they were unable to enter at first because the flames were so intense.
"It was impossible to access the interior," recounted Claude Morin, the local fire department's chief of operations.
The victims were a well-known couple, both seniors, in the neighbourhood. One neighbour cried as she told Radio-Canada, "it's very sad to die that way."
Investigators were still on the scene late into the morning Saturday, searching the wreckage.
An autopsy will be performed on the victims, Bibeau said. Nobody else was injured in the fire, which occurred on du Parc Street.
The neighbourhood is mostly comprised of prefabricated and mobile homes, and is not far from the Salle Méchatigan, a performing arts centre.
Fire officials have determined the fire was not criminally set, Bibeau said, but the exact cause is not yet known.
