Family suing Manitoba First Nation over fire that left three children dead

‘It becomes a recipe for disaster’ The parents of three children killed in a fire are suing the Manitoba First Nation where it happened. Jeff Keele reports.

Nearly two years after their three children died in a fire on Cross Lake First Nation, the parents of the victims have filed a lawsuit against the nation also known as Pimicikamak Cree Nation.

Melodie and Patrick North filed a statement of claim in Manitoba's Court of King's Bench on January 4, 2024. The claim alleges the nation was negligent, failed to train firefighting staff and housed the family in an unsafe structure.

The couple’s three children – 17-year-old Kobie, 13-year-old Jade and 2-year-old Reed – were all killed in the fire on Feb. 12, 2022. The claim seeks more than $330,000 along with other damages for members of the family.

The allegations in the statement of claim have not been tested in court, and as of Wednesday no statements of defence had been filed.

The claim said due to a housing shortage in the community more than 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg, the First Nation provided the family with a temporary COVID-19 structure to live in. The night of the fire, the family had been sleeping in the house along with Melodie's granddaughter and Kobie's girlfriend.

Around 4:30 a.m., the claim said the family woke up to smoke and fire that blocked the door of the structure.

Patrick was able to shatter one of the windows allowing Melodie, their four-year-old granddaughter and Kobie's girlfriend to escape. However, the claim said Patrick was unable to rescue Kobie, Jade and Reed.

After escaping the flames, Melodie ran to the closest house and called the fire hall. The First Nation's firefighters arrived about 30 minutes later without water or equipment to battle the fire, according to the claim.

The claim alleges the First Nation was negligent, leading to the deaths of the three children by housing the family in an unsafe structure that failed to meet fire code. It also said the First Nation failed to adequately train or equip its firefighting staff and have them at the ready to respond to a house fire.

It says the First Nation failed to respond to the fire in a timely manner, delaying the rescue of the three victims.

Melodie and Patrick North have also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, emotional and psychological distress, and mental suffering according to the claim.

CTV News has reached out to their lawyer Martin Pollock who is not available for an interview. Cross Lake First Nation has yet to respond for comment.

'RECIPE FOR DISASTER'

Research from Statistics Canada has shown nationally, people from First Nations are 10 times more like to die in a fire compared to people from other communities in Canada.

Arnold Lazare with the Indigenous Fire Marshal Service said overcrowding, a lack of safe housing, and improper infrastructure are to blame.

“It becomes a recipe for disaster, which is what we’ve seen,” he said.

Lazare said his organization is working on prevention measures, including training and educating communities about fire safety.

He is also working to get fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in homes.

“If we can get the people who have the resources to invest in the community then it works."