A two-year-old boy died after suffering burns in a house fire in Langley on Friday morning, RCMP confirmed.
The fire call came in at 8:36 a.m. on Jan. 24. Firefighters pulled the boy from the burning building near 82nd Avenue and 272nd Street in Glen Valley.
“Our crews were responding to a fully involved structure fire with one person unaccounted for,†explained Township fire chief Stephen Gamble. “Our crews performed a rescue and pulled the child out of the building.â€
They started first aid on the child and B.C. Ambulance took over.
There were two parents and two other children at the scene. None of the other victims of the fire were seriously hurt, although there was some minor smoke inhalation, said assistant fire chief Bruce Ferguson.
“Because of the rural area, it was without water supply,†Gamble explained. “We activated our [water] shuttle.â€
The water shuttle service mean a total of 12 engines were used. Fire crews from five halls (Fort Langley, Aldergrove, Walnut Grove, Otter and Murrayville) responded, using tankers to move water back and forth from the nearest water hookup.
The firefighters stayed on the scene for some time snuffing out hot spots in the building.
The exact cause of the fire was still not yet known on Monday.
“It is determined not suspicious, but still under investigation,†said Ferguson.
In the case of a fatal fire, the investigators, who are working with the help of the RCMP, want to be as thorough as possible, Ferugson said.
The victims lived on a family farm, and are believed to be staying with other family members.
Ferguson said he didn’t know if there were working smoke alarms in the home or not at the time of the fire.
Regardless, he urged other residents to test their smoke alarms and replace old batteries or worn-out alarms.
Around the time of the fatal fire, the fire department was kept busy with a medical call, three alarms and a motor vehicle incident, Gamble said.
This fire joins three fatal fires that hit Langley last year, two in Langley City and one in the Township.
- With files from the Vancouver Sun
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