A 12-year-old boy has died following a residential house fire in Portage la Prairie early Sunday morning.
On March 1 at approximately 4:40 a.m., Portage la Prairie RCMP received a report of a residential fire in the community with multiple residents inside.
The blaze occurred at a home on the first 100 block of 8th Street Northwest.
Police say the house was fully engulfed in flames when officers arrived.
Two adults and five children managed to get out of the residence with relatively minor injuries. They informed an officer that a 12-year-old boy did not make it out.
His body was later located inside the home.
Police say the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
In a social media post, Portage la Prairie Mayor Sharilyn Knox offered her condolences on behalf of the city and council.
“Our hearts are with the family, the friends, the classmates, the teachers, the support staff; everyone who is feeling this loss so deeply right now,” she says. “In a community like ours, when something like this happens, it really hits all of us. We feel it, and we really need to take care of each other.”
Knox also thanked local authorities.
“I also want to say thank you to our firefighters, our paramedics, our police, and all of the first responders who showed up in such difficult circumstances. Please check in on one another over the next few days. Reach out if you need support. It is okay to not be okay,” she adds.
“We will grieve this together,” Knox concludes.
