Community mourns family killed in East Gwillimbury fire

A note is left outside a home in East Gwillimbury, Ont. where a fire left four family members dead. (Colin D'Mello / CTV Toronto)

A makeshift memorial has been erected outside the East Gwillimbury home where a fire claimed the lives of four family members on Friday.

Bouquets of flowers and notes of condolences were left outside the home Saturday, a day after a fire ripped through the two-storey home in the small town about 50 kilometres north of Toronto.

The blaze broke out early Friday morning and claimed the lives of Kevin and Jennifer Dunsmuir, 55 and 51 respectively, and two of their sons, Robert, 19 and Cameron, 16. The family’s dog also died in the blaze.

Neighbours say the family has a third son, 24-year-old David Dunsmuir, who is away at university.

The blaze started at approximately 5 a.m. Friday morning, at a residence near Leslie Street and Mount Albert road. Officials said a 911 call was made from the home at approximately 5:30 a.m.

The bodies of the family were found trapped inside a second-floor bedroom.

Hundreds of friends and family gathered Friday night at Sacred Heart Catholic High School in Newmarket, Ont., for a candlelight vigil to mourn the deaths.