An elderly couple have been found dead at a house fire in Comox that reportedly involved an explosion.
Comox Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Jim Lariviere said the call about the fire in the 1700-block of Ryan Road East — in a semi-rural area with a number of businesses — came in about 4:15 p.m. Friday and 36 firefighters were dispatched.
“We saw the whole back end was burning, and then we did our searches and discovered the victims,” he said.
One victim was found inside the home and one was found outside, Lariviere said.
Family members arrived at the scene, he said. “There was family in and around the Comox area.”
The fire, which appeared to have originated at the rear of the home, was knocked down fairly quickly, he said. “We didn’t have any issues gaining entry.”
The cause is not yet known.
“It’s just the very initial stages of the investigation,” Lariviere said.
Comox Fire Rescue is conducting the investigation with Comox Valley RCMP and the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
Comox is a relatively small community with about 15,000 people, and an incident with multiple fatalities is quite rare and hits hard, said Comox Mayor Nicole Minions.
“We’re sending our condolences to obviously the whole family, and hoping that the community gets behind them in any support that they need.”
She said Comox Fire Rescue is heavily volunteer-based, and a number of members have been at the site through the weekend as the investigation progresses.
Minions said being a first responder in a community the size of Comox can be difficult because so many people know each other.
She said she talked to Fire Chief Gord Schreiner to check in on the members and was told that they are being debriefed in the aftermath of the fire, and support is being provided.
jbell@timescolonist.com
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