Three people are dead after a Saturday morning house fire on a reserve near Calgary, RCMP say.
The Gleichen RCMP detachment was called in to assist local fire departments as they battled a blaze at a home in the Siksika First Nation at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Two males, both aged 28, and one female, 25, were found deceased inside the residence.
Police said that the neighbours contacted the Mounties after seeing smoke coming from the windows of the home.
Siksika's fire chief and director of emergency services, Tom Littlechild, who was at the scene, called the incident tragic in an interview with CTV Calgary.
Littlechild said that in his experience, he had never seen this many people perish in a house fire.
He added that he didn’t know the victims personally, but counselling services would be offered to members of his department.
The cause of the fire is still unclear, but Littlechild said the home had "no working smoke alarms."
Littlechild told The Canadian Press that by the time local fire fighters arrived on scene, flames were bursting out of the home's kitchen and living room windows.
"The fire, the bulk of it, was on the east end of the house where the kitchen and living room were. The bedrooms, for all intents and purposes, were not really touched by flames at all," Littlechild said.
Siksika firefighters called for backup from the fire department in the nearby community of Cluny, and eventually the flames were doused, Littlechild said.
When crews were able to enter the home, a man and a woman were found in one bedroom, and the other man was in a second bedroom.
Littlechild said that there were no reports of other people being in the home at the time of the fire.
All three victims were residents of the Siksika Nation, and had recently moved into the home.
The RCMP is still investigating along with the Siksika Nation fire department and the Cluny fire department. The names of the victims are being withheld while next of kin are notified.
Police say that the fire doesn't appear suspicious, and may have been ignited inside the house.
Autopsies will be performed in Calgary next week.
Littlechild hopes that the incident will serve as a reminder of the importance of having a fully functioning smoke alarm.
"Even though it's a tragic event, the positive thing I guess to try to get across to everyone is the importance of having a working smoke alarm in your home," Littlechild said.
Siksika First Nation is located about 90 kilometres southeast of Calgary, and is home to approximately 7,000 people.
With files from The Canadian Press
