A weekend house fire outside Halifax has claimed the life of a six-year-old girl, family friends confirm.
A 40-year-old man and two other children were also rushed to hospital following the early morning fire.
Alyssa Martin and William Buffet are close friends of the family and say they are doing the best they can during this tragedy.
“This is a crushing situation, obviously, trying to manage the different emotions that they go through as they undertake this unimaginable situation is very hard,” said Buffet.
“But they seem to be coming together and trying to hold it together as best they can, obviously, for all the children involved, while showing support and love to one another. You couldn’t ask for a better, bigger family.”
The blaze broke out around 3 a.m. on Saturday at a duplex in Lower Sackville.
RCMP said first responders were called to the home on Riverside Drive, where a 37-year-old woman and a two-year-old child managed to flee the burning home.
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The man had been rescued by a neighbour and was listed in critical condition on the weekend.
The remaining children — ages five, six and nine years old — were rescued by firefighters. The child who died was a relative who was staying with them.
Martin and Buffet said the father had gone back inside the house to rescue the children.
“They’re the best parents. They did everything for their kids,” said Martin.
She recalled the feeling of disbelief and helplessness when she received a call about the blaze.
“We had no idea of anyone’s conditions, and your first thought is, ‘What I can do?’ And unfortunately, there’s not very much at that time except to try and help them prepare for what’s coming.”
A vigil was held for the family on Sunday night, with the community gathering to offer support and condolences.
A GoFundMe was set up to help the family recover financially.
“We want to show them that all the love and compassion that they’ve given out to the community, people have remembered. And we want to give it back to them,” said Martin.
Deputy fire Chief David Meldrum told Global News there was no indication the fire was suspicious. An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
“Investigating a fire thoroughly can take considerable time,” he said.
A spokesperson from Halifax Regional Centre for Education said it was offering their sympathy and support to everyone impacted by the fire.
“Additional staff, including school counsellors and social workers, will be on site at the impacted school today and as needed throughout the week to support students and staff,” wrote Lindsey Bunin in an e-mail.
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