A child is dead, and a woman is in hospital with severe injuries after she attempted to save him from a house fire in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation over the weekend.

On Saturday evening, community members worked with the Sioux Valley fire department and local safety officers to extinguish the blaze.

The boy was pulled from the burning home and rushed to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

A 65-year-old woman who participated in the rescue efforts sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital, where she continues to be treated.

Virden RCMP responded to the scene after receiving a call around 6:50 p.m. and were told en route that a boy was still inside the home. According to RCMP, there were seven people in the house — four adults and three children.

The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, and the Office of the Fire Commissioner will assist with the investigation, which is standard when there is a fatality.

A Brandon Sun photographer tried to visit the scene Monday but was asked to leave by a local security officer.

Sioux Valley Chief Jennifer Bone declined to comment Monday, but provided a statement requesting privacy on behalf of the family and community.

“Sioux Valley Dakota Nation is devastated by the recent loss, and our community is in mourning with this traumatic event,” Bone wrote.

An online fundraiser has been started for the family. According to the GoFundMe page, the fire began in a storage room of the home and quickly spread throughout the house. Most of the people inside the house escaped, but the boy had been sleeping.

Family members tried to get the child out of the house, first through a window and then eventually managed to pull him through a hole in the wall cut from the outside.

“They have lost everything in this fire,” the page reads. “Their home is gone, all their belongings, all their memories.”

According to the page, the boy was supposed to be airlifted to Winnipeg, but the family was told he would not survive the trip. The boy was instead taken to Brandon Regional Health Centre.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com