MACKENZIE, B.C. – Twin toddlers have died in a house fire in Mackenzie, B.C., after frantic rescue attempts by their parents, police, firefighters and a neighbour failed to save them.
RCMP Const. Leslie Smith said the 18-month-old children — a brother and sister —were trapped in a second-floor bedroom when the fire broke out about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
By the time fire crews arrived, the home was fully engulfed and rescuers were unable to get into the home, she said.
“Members tried to go through the front of the house as well as the back but were pushed back by aggressive flames,” Smith said.
“There were a lot of neighbours and witnesses who were trying to help at that time.”
The twins’ parents and a three-year-old child survived the fire.
Smith said a logging truck that smashed into a power pole on Monday had temporarily knocked out 911 service in the area, but power was restored at least five hours before the fire erupted.
Last week, two children were killed in a house fire in Lantzville on Vancouver Island and on Sunday, two kids were among five people who died in a Whitehorse home where carbon monoxide appears to be the cause.
