A fire that broke out in the early morning hours Saturday in Roseau River, Man. has claimed the life of a mother of six, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Ron Evans tells CTV News.
Daphne Benjoe, 41, and her 16-year-old daughter, Alandice, were asleep in the house following a party when the fire broke out around 4 a.m., Benjoe's step-daughter Prairie Nelson says.
Family members ran into the burning home to pull them out, but it was too late for Benjoe. Alandice was rushed to a Winnipeg hospital.
The family says when emergency crews arrived, firefighters weren't able to put out the blaze because the water in nearby fire hydrants was frozen. The home was burned to the ground.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
It is the second fatal fire on a Manitoba First Nation this week. A fire in St. Theresa Point took the life of a two-month-old girl on Sunday. The community there didn't have a working fire truck or running water, and neighbours had to use snow to put out the flames.
First nation officials say the fires are just another example of the problems plaguing Manitoba reserves.
"These tragedies will continue to be there, we will continue to experience them, because we are not dealing with the real issue," Grand Chief Ron Evans, the leader of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, told CTV.
Evans says people need better infrastructure to support firefighting, including running water and proper firefighting equipment.
He notes that residents live in substandard homes with no sewer systems, and the communities lack adequate fire prevention programs.
With a report from CTV Winnipeg's Caroline Barghout
