The smell of smoke lingered Monday after a house fire in Vancouver killed three members of the same family, including a child, and injured two others.
Fire officials have yet to confirm what sparked the flames Sunday, but a child under 10 years old, his mother and grandfather were killed. The grandmother and father suffered smoke inhalation and are still in the hospital.
A handwritten sign placed near the front steps of the charred bungalow reads, “We love you, Ivan” and “Our prayers to you, mom (and) grandpa.”
The makeshift memorial to the family grew larger throughout the day as friends and neighbors showed their love and support.
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Child, mother, grandfather killed in East Vancouver house fire
Ivan Chik, a Grade 4 student at Corpus Christi School, has been identified as the youngest victim.
“We held prayers with the entire school and have brought in counselors to assist both staff and students,” said school principal Rosa Natola in a statement to Global News.
“We are still in shock and are grateful for the outpouring of prayers from the community.”
Susana Mora lives in a neighboring home and said she was in lying awake with her young son on the weekend when she heard loud voices and screams.
Mora said she heard a loud noise, like a pop, and the yelling intensified, but she could not understand because the voices were not in English.
On Sunday, Fire Chief Karen Fry said the basement basement of the home was “fully enveloped” in flames when rescue personnel arrived around 7:30 a.m. to find two adults injured outside, while the other family members were still inside. Preliminary findings from the investigation did not indicate anything suspicious, the Sunday statement said.
On Monday, Fry said it “does not appear that the smoke alarms were working,” and the grandmother told fire officials she did not hear a building smoke alarm go off. Fry urged tenants and homeowners alike to ensure their smoke alarms are functional, and batteries are changed if they’s more than 10 years old.
A land title search showed Kam Wing Chik, listed as a businessman, and Miriam Yuk Chun Bob, a nurse, bought the home in 1991.
Another handwritten sympathy note left outside the home was addressed to “Mrs. Chik ”and three other people.
– with files from Global News’ Christa Dao
© 2022 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca