Three confirmed dead in Monday fire on Maple Bay Road

The death toll from a house fire east of Duncan on Monday morning has risen from one to three after two more bodies were found when crews were able to fully check the home, the North Cowichan fire chief said Wednesday.

North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP initially said at least one person had died in the fire in the 1600 block of Maple Bay Road.

“After Monday’s fire, we had to leave the scene overnight,” Chief Ron French said. “The next day we went back to complete the investigation and recovered two more victims. A total of three were lost.”

French said a resident who got out safely and called 911 told firefighters that one of the victims started to come outside but went back into the hallway to help others and succumbed to the smoke.

The home, which had an upper suite and a basement suite, was “fully involved” when firefighters arrived, French said.

Although firefighters determined the fire started in the living area of ​​the basement suite, they have not yet determined the cause, he said.

The investigation is now in the hands of the coroner and the RCMP.

A An online fundraising campaign has been launched for two tenants who survived the fire.

The GoFundMe page states that Tom Kalmar and Leslie Cameron are looking for a new place to live and now have to replace “a lifetime of possessions.”

“We would also like to take a moment to express our sincere condolences to the families of the lives lost in this fire,” the page said.

Two affiliated barbershops in the Cowichan area – the Society Barbershop & Cafe and Society at the Hall – will donate their profits to Kalmar and Cameron on November 9.

They will also collect donations.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact North Cowichan/RCMP at 250-748-5522.

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