Body found during investigation at house fire in Coquitlam: RCMP
Mounties are investigating a house fire in Coquitlam where a body was found inside the residence.
Officers were called at about 9 p.m. Wednesday about a fire on McTavish Court near Hockaday Street.
The RCMP told CTV News Vancouver that a body was found inside the home.
"The investigation is active and ongoing," Mounties said in a statement.
David Fantillo lives next door to the home and says it was a very chaotic situation Wednesday night.
“The owner came rushing at our door and was frantic she said, ‘Fire, fire!’” described Fantillo.
He and his son grabbed a fire extinguisher to try and help, as the flames shot out of the back of the home toward their house.
Fantillo says the homeowners are a family who lives on the top floor and there are two tenants below.
“The other tenants said, ‘It started and we can't stop it’. We tried and I just went in and we just started to hose down the side of the house with our hoses,” he explained.
He says it looked like the other tenant did not make it out of the house alive.
The flames were massive, shooting out of the roof within minutes.
Neighbours tried to stop the spread before firefighters arrived.
“Then they started taking over and thank the Lord because our little hoses weren't enough,” Fantillo told CTV News.
A massive response from Coquitlam RCMP quickly followed.
“The police were concerned that there was somebody that was armed. So they made it known to all the neighbors that we had somebody around that could be running around with a knife,” he explained.
But he says the armed tenant never left the suite.
“He barricaded himself in there and there was no hope once the flame started to take over,” said Fantillo.
Annette Poitras lives nearby and says the massive police presence was alarming.
“I saw the police with their rifles. Oh, there must have been around 20 or 30 police officers and it was just a big scramble,” she described.
Poitras says she and her neighbours were instructed to go back inside their homes.
“They had the police dogs here. So a neighbor heard gunshots. So heard pop, pop, pop and someone say ‘Help me Help me. Please help me.’”
She says the fire was massive.
“It was all like smoke. It was all in the back and it was just horrendous. I mean, we have never seen anything like that before. It was just unbelievable,” she described
“Seeing all that in our neighborhood. It's a quiet neighborhood where all the neighbors were shaking.”
Police have not said if any arrests were made but said in an email to CTV News, “At this time there is no risk to public safety.”
It's unclear what led to the person's death or if police suspect a crime was committed.
Coquitlam RCMP did confirm to CTV News the investigation is their file, and not being passed onto the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
By day, the magnitude of the damage is evident. The roof is gone, and what was once the upstairs living area is now blackened rubble.
“To our knowledge it will be likely days before we can get inside the residence due to safety of the structure,” said Const. Deanna Law.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.