Residents of small Quebec town reeling after family of 6 dies in house fire
Mélanie Jalbert's six-year-old son played often with the neighbouring kids over the summer.
But next summer, he will have to find new playmates.
"He doesn't really understand that his friends aren't there anymore," said Jalbert.
Six bodies were pulled from the remains of her neighbour's house after a violent fire ripped through the property early Thursday morning in the town of Saint-Jacques, Que., just south of Rawdon and about 60 kilometres north of Montreal in the Lanaudière region.
Jalbert said she heard some sort of explosion at around 12:30 a.m. She said she looked out her window and saw her neighbour's house ablaze. She called 911.
Firefighters arrived at around 1 a.m. on Rang du Cordon. and began fighting the fire. The bodies were found inside, and now provincial police are investigating.
Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Sgt. Éloïse Cossette said on Monday that provincial investigators are still working to identify what caused the fire, but it is believed to have been accidental.
"The investigation is ongoing," she said. "There's nothing new to say about it."
Stuffed animals and handmade signs were placed against a fence in front of the burned house on Monday morning as Jalbert, her eyes welling with tears, described the family as friendly and active in the community.
She said she is jumpy now when she hears loud noises and is having trouble sleeping, thinking about the family.
"I am so sorry for their family and friends," said Jalbert. "It's so unfortunate."
The parents were Alex Guillemette, 27, and Catherine Bouchard-Paulin, 28, but police are not naming their minor children.
Town pays respect to victims
Josyanne Forest, mayor of Saint-Jacques, said she didn't know the family, but the town hosted a vigil Monday evening to pay its respects to those who died and show support to the victims' loved ones.
About 100 people attended the vigil, held in city hall. Media were not allowed inside the event.
People visited city hall throughout the afternoon, stopping by to sign a book of condolences. The flags flew at half-mast in memory of the family.
Forest, speaking earlier in the day, said her community is small, with only about 4,200 residents, and now everybody is talking about the tragedy. She said it's hard to believe something so terrible happened in their own hometown.
It's particularly difficult because four children were among the victims, she said, and it comes just after another tragedy that took the lives of two kids.
The day before the fire, a city bus crashed into a daycare in the nearby city of Laval, Que.
"It's again some kids," said Forest. "That's why it is harder."
