Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
Brandon Fire and Emergency Services members wheel an 84-year-old woman to a waiting ambulance at the scene of a house fire at 30 Balmoral Bay in the city’s south end early Sunday afternoon. Police said the woman was transported to hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Another resident of the home was out at the time of the blaze and was not injured. (TIM SMITH/BRANDON SUN)
An 84-year-old Brandon woman is dead following a house fire in Brandon's south end on Sunday afternoon.
Emergency crews and Brandon police responded to a call of a house fire on Balmoral Bay at 1:30 p.m.
Police said firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze relatively quickly and found one woman unconscious inside the residence. She was transported to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Brandon Police Service acting Staff Sgt. Earl McNutt confirmed the death yesterday afternoon.
"It’s still under investigation at this point, but it’s not looking like it’s foul play," McNutt said. "It appears likely to be just an electrical fire."
The exact cause of death has not been determined.
McNutt said at least three people lived in the residence — an elderly couple and their daughter.
"They were both fairly frail, the man I have seen on oxygen," neighbour Alan Levy said on Sunday.
Levy said the elderly couple’s daughter looked after them, and that they had visits from home care on a daily basis.
Police say the woman’s husband was not in the residence at the time, and that he did not suffer any injuries from the fire. Levy’s wife suggested the elderly husband may have been out for coffee at the time of the fire, but McNutt could not confirm that.
Levy and his wife were both in their home when they smelled smoke.
"We first smelled the smoke inside and then looked outside and saw all these (emergency vehicles)," Levy said.
Another local resident, Art Feser, said he couldn’t recall the last time there was a fire in the neighbourhood.
"I have lived here for more than 35 years. I didn’t know them, but there have never been any fires in the area before," Feser said.
Feser said he was more alarmed by the number of emergency vehicles at the scene. A minimum of 10 emergency vehicles were parked outside the house and blocking traffic along the street.
As of 4 p.m. Sunday, McNutt said investigators with Brandon Fire and Emergency Services as well as the Office of the Fire Commissioner were on scene.
» mkerr@brandonsun.com
» mgoerzen@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition March 26, 2012
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An 84-year-old Brandon woman is dead following a house fire in Brandon's south end on Sunday afternoon.
Emergency crews and Brandon police responded to a call of a house fire on Balmoral Bay at 1:30 p.m.
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An 84-year-old Brandon woman is dead following a house fire in Brandon's south end on Sunday afternoon.
Emergency crews and Brandon police responded to a call of a house fire on Balmoral Bay at 1:30 p.m.
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