Cochrane Mayor Peter Politis has expressed condolences following a deadly house fire on Namah Road that claimed the lives of a young girl and her grandfather over the weekend.
The mayor confirmed that a 10-year-old child died in the blaze, along with her 60-year-old grandfather, who re-entered the burning home in an attempt to rescue her. In a social media message, Politis extended sympathies to the affected families, emphasizing the community’s shared grief and support during the tragedy.
Cochrane’s fire department responded to the residential fire at 9:21 p.m. on Jan. 24, finding the home fully engulfed. Fire crews deployed three vehicles and 17 firefighters, and due to the rural setting, a tanker shuttle system was used to maintain a water supply. Ontario Provincial Police and paramedics also attended the scene.
Four other individuals were treated at the scene and transported to Lady Minto Hospital. Firefighters battled extreme conditions, working for roughly four hours in temperatures near -30 C.
This is one of three residential fires that broke out within an 18-hour span over the weekend, an exceptionally rare occurrence for the northern Ontario community.
Only hours later, firefighters responded to a second blaze involving a fully involved mobile home at a local trailer park early Sunday morning. Later that afternoon, crews were dispatched for a third time to a house fire in the town’s core.
The Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating all three fires, and while causes have not yet been determined, officials do not believe the incidents are related.