SASKATOON -- Three people were found dead after a house fire Thursday in North Battleford, RCMP say.
The victims were a 39-year-old woman and her two children, an 11-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl, according to a news release.
A neighbour who didn’t want to be identified told CTV News that around 2 p.m. Thursday, he heard screaming and saw a man frantically trying to get into the house.
He said there wasn’t a lot of flames or smoke visible.
Fire and police arrived on scene shortly after.
"This incident is a terrible tragedy. Anytime you have a loss of life and then when you have multiple losses of life, especially a mother and young children, it shakes a family, it shakes the next of kin and it shakes the community,” said Cpl. Rob King with the Saskatchewan RCMP.
Neighbours have been leaving flowers on the front lawn of the house.
Some told CTV News the family was kind and well known in the community, and that they just moved into the home earlier this year.
The house is in the 1400 block of 99th Street.
Investigators are working to determine the events leading up to the report of the fire.
They will be looking at all circumstances surrounding these three deaths, including whether the deaths are suspicious, RCMP say.
“At this point we’ve identified who we believe the people are, we’ve talked to their next of kin, but we are not ready to release that publicly,” King said.
Autopsies will be held early next week, he said.
The incident is unrelated to another sudden death in the 1400 block of 101st Street, RCMP say.
In that case officers are working to determine whether foul play was involved.
With files from Nicole Di Donato
