Three people, including two students, are dead after a house fire in Victoria in the early hours of Feb. 16.
The British Columbia Coroners Service confirmed Georgia Paige Klap, 22, Emily Grace Morin, 20, and Mark Mitchell, 26, died from injuries apparently related to the fire that took place on Johnson Street.
Klap was a student at the University of Victoria, and Morin attended Pacific Rim College, according to the Canadian Press.
“The coroners service will continue to investigate the deaths,” coroner Larry Crawford said, adding that toxicology and autopsy results will not be known for several weeks.
The fire took place in the early hours of the morning after a house party at the Johnson Street home. Fire Capt. Bob Jones told the Canadian Press that although the fire hall was a mere 50 feet away from the house and 22 firefighters arrived at 4:40 a.m. only 10 minutes after the fire began, the fire had already spread quickly throughout the house.
Due to the damage, investigators are unable to conclusively determine the cause of the fire, police said. However, the fire started on the porch, and an earlier couch fire that was extinguished may have been a contributing factor.
Witnesses said the house had smoke alarms, but no one inside the building recalls hearing an alarm that morning. Fire officials estimate the damages to be $150,000.
Jones said there were several out-of-town guests staying at the house at the time of the fire. Several of these people were given accommodation for the night by the evacuee assistance program.
In the week after the fire, citizens of Victoria have mourned the deaths.
On Feb. 19, a memorial took place outside Pacific Rim College to honour the three victims. A trust account has also been established to help the surviving residents who were displaced by the fire pay for living arrangements and other belongings.
“The money will be used by the families of the victims and of the three surviving roommates to help them deal with any financial needs that have arisen because of the tragic fire,” said Erika Verlinden, who knew two of the victims and started the fund.
“My friends have lost their home and many or all belongings, and more importantly, the lives of their three roommates,” she said.
