2 children die in Cowichan Reserve house fire

A nine-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy have died and seven other people are in hospital after fire ripped through a two-storey home just south of Duncan, B.C.
The blaze broke out in the house just after 11 p.m. Wednesday on the Cowichan reserve.
Neighbours said that it took fire crews from Duncan and North Cowichan more than 20 minutes to arrive after 911 was called.
When firefighters arrived, flames at the front door prevented crews from getting inside, neighbours said.
North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP Const. Susan Boyes told CBC News that the inside of the home was completely engulfed in flames.
"Four children and three adults have escaped and are being treated for injuries. Two other children unfortunately did not escape and perished in the fire," Boyes said.
Neighbours said there were nine people living in the house, three adults and six children, and all were related.
The two children who died were cousins.
The other people in the home were taken to hospitals in Duncan, Victoria and Vancouver, depending on the severity of their injuries. The extent of their injuries isn't known.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but police said early indications are that the fire was not started deliberately.

Top article from CBC, photo and bottom article from Timess Colonist

Two young cousins are dead and their community is in shock after a fire engulfed a house on the Cowichan Reserve near Duncan.
Dead are four-year-old Troy Joe and nine-year-old Marissa Thomas, two of six children in the home when fire broke out at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.
There were also three adults in the house at the time, including the mother of one of the dead children. They were taken to hospitals in Duncan and Victoria.
Theresa Bartleman, the victims’ aunt, drove to Duncan from Sidney, after receiving a phone call about the fire.She was at the charred house Thursday morning waiting for the bodies to be removed.“Nobody is here for them, everyone is in the hospital,” she said.
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Please everyone check your smoke alarms, make sure you have fire extinguishes and know how to use them, make sure you have insurance. I don't know if it would have helped in this instance, but please always try and keep each other safe.

My heart goes out to the family and the Cowichan community. My prayer is that the two children are at peace now, and that the family heals quickly so they can be together and start the spiritual healing.