Man and woman dead after townhouse fire in Mississauga

A man and woman are dead after a barbecue exploded inside the garage of a townhome in Mississauga on Sunday night.

Emergency crews were called to a townhome in the South Millway and Burnhamthorpe Road area of Mississauga at 7:36 p.m. for a report of a fire, paramedics said.

Mississauga Fire Platoon Chief Alan Hills said the two victims were using a barbecue in the front of the home when it exploded, causing both of them to suffer severe burns.

“Something went wrong that caused an explosion and both patients were burned badly as they went into the main floor of the home,” Hills said.

The victims then went into the home, as a fire began to spread toward them.

Firefighters pulled a male in his 50s and a female in her 50s out of the blaze, which grew to include the front façade of the unit.

Both victims had no vital signs when they were recovered.

The male victim was pronounced dead at the scene while the female was taken to a local hospital for treatment. She was pronounced dead in hospital after 10 p.m. Sunday, Fire Chief Tim Beckett said.

Beckett said firefighters were still searching for hotspots at about 9:30 p.m. The blaze also claimed the life of a dog that was inside the home.

He cautioned that despite earlier statements, fire officials were not ready to comment on what caused the fire.

“We’re going to look at everything; we’re going to transect the scene and get everything looked after. It’s way too early right now to say what may have been involved or what may not have been involved.”

Witnesses told CP24 they heard the sound of explosions before seeing signs of fire at the unit.

The Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate the blaze.