Police investigating fire at home searched in connection with Samuel Bird disappearance

Police are investigating a fire at a home previously searched in connection with missing teen Samuel Bird. CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Weisberg reports.

Police are investigating after a fire that broke out on Monday morning at a home that was searched earlier this month in connection with the disappearance of Samuel Bird.

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Fire crews responded to the blaze at the duplex at 106 Avenue and 150 Street at 4:56 a.m on Monday.

The fire was declared out shortly after 6 a.m.

It’s not known if the fire is connected to Samuel’s disappearance, but given the connection to the case it is being treated as suspicious, police said.

Investigators are also calling a white cargo-style van a “vehicle of interest” in the fire.

A tenant of the duplex told CTV News Edmonton she called 911 after smelling smoke.

“I wasn’t sleeping … I (was listening) to music and then all of a sudden I just smelled smoke,” said Blair Omeasoo, a basement resident.

“I went upstairs, I came outside, I saw smoke coming from outside of (the upstairs tenant’s) windows … I ran back to my suite, and I opened my doors so my cats (could) come out."

Omeasoo says she’s only lived in the duplex since July 1, but she was thinking about moving out after the search warrant was executed.

“Since then I’ve really been reconsidering,” she said.

No one was injured in the fire.

The duplex was searched on Sept. 18 in connection with Samuel’s disappearance, but police have not provided any further details about why it was searched or what may have been found.

‘I’m never going to be able to rest until I find him’

Samuel was last seen in the Canora neighbourhood in west Edmonton on June 1.

Police said in August his disappearance is considered suspicious.

His 15th birthday was on Sunday.

The boy’s family and friends have been searching the river valley and North Saskatchewan River for weeks.

Samuel’s mother, Alanna Bird, says she was notified about the fire by friends on Monday morning.

She says despite the connection she just wants to focus on the search for her son.

“I’m never going to be able to rest until I find him,” she told CTV News Edmonton.

“That’s all I think about every day.”

She says the group has ramped up its search efforts by putting up bigger missing person boards around west Edmonton, where Samuel was last seen.

“We want to just make sure everyone’s aware,” she said. “Report anything suspicious.”

It’s estimated that more than 1,000 people have been involved in the search so far.

“I am just super thankful. It really warms my heart that everyone, just helping and coming together for Samuel,” she said.

“It takes a big load off of my shoulders, knowing that you can have so much help and support from the community.”

She also says police have been working hard to find her son.

“People are frustrated, but if they knew how much the police are doing, I think they would be on their side as well.”

“I know some things, and I really can’t say much about it, but they are doing their job.”

‘You just have to have faith’

Cheryl, a search coordinator with the campaign to find Samuel, says she got involved because Samuel was a friend of her son’s, and she’s close with the family.

“I help with mapping, and I help with gathering searchers and coordinating them with drivers, making sure they have all the gear that they need for the searchers and making sure that they arrive back here safely,” she said.

“There are searches every day. There’s land searches, there’s water searches, we have drones involved, cadaver dogs every day,” she said.

“There are searches going on somewhere in the city, and not only people that come to the command post, but there’s community out and about looking on their own time for Samuel as well.”

She says donations of food and cash have been pouring in to keep searchers fed and pay for necessities like gas.

“They help with food, they help with land, searches, rides, water, anything that is needed down here, firewood. The community has come together and provided those things so that we can be down here daily, which is amazing.”

Despite the fact that Samuel has been missing nearly four months, she says searchers still hope they can find answers for his family.

“You just have to have faith. We pray a lot. We have a lot of ceremonies, and just being here together with community is very supporting. It’s supporting for us and supporting for the community to come down here.”

Anyone who wants to donate to the campaign to find Samuel can do so online.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nicole Weisberg