LOON LAKE, Sask. -- Fire officials say they don't know what caused the blaze that killed two children on a northern Saskatchewan reserve last week.
Two-year-old Harley Cheenanow and his 18-month-old sister, Haley, died after the fire broke out at their grandmother's home.
The volunteer fire department in nearby Loon Lake was called but didn't respond, because service to the reserve had been cut weeks earlier over unpaid bills.
Investigators say the source of the fire can't be determined because of the "complete burn" nature of the blaze.
They say the home was outfitted with a smoke detector but they don't know if it was working.
RCMP were the only first responders that showed up to help while the fire raged.
The grandmother managed to get out alive but the children, carried out of the burning building by their father, died at the scene.
Chief Richard Ben of the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation has said his reserve has a working fire truck, but they didn't have enough money for proper equipment or to train crews to use it.
