Anger, heartbreak after fire kills more people in Far North First Nation

People are heartbroken following last week’s fatal house fire in the Far North community of Peawanuck.

A man and a woman died in the blaze and three others are in hospital.

The fire claimed Jared Guerard, 26, and Chelsea Wabano, 29. Guerard was an avid painter and Wabano, a mother and widow. People close to them called them kind and loving.

Among the three survivors was 33-year-old David Wesley, now fighting for his life in Sudbury.

His mother, Josephine Hughie-Wesley, recalled his frantic late-night phone call while he was trying to escape the house.

“I just keep hearing him, in my head, (from) that night,” Hughie-Wesley said.

“His two friends, Jared and Chelsea, didn’t make it out. He kept saying that. He was crying, saying, ‘l was in a house fire,’ and that he escaped.”

Residents of Peawanuck First Nation are mourning the loss of two people following a house fire on Feb. 1/24. (File photo)

'A fire hall, that's basic stuff'

Wabano’s mother, one of the survivors, reported that power was out at the time, making it difficult to escape. Bystanders were able to pull some victims to safety, but could not save everyone.

The community has access to a fire truck, flown in after a 10-year-old girl died in a house fire around the same time last year.

That has prompted calls for Ottawa to fund better fire service.

“A fire hall, that basic stuff,” said Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus.

“People in Treaty Nine are tired of trauma and the broken promises. We need a full, comprehensive plan for fire safety in the north. No more fire deaths.”

Federal Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said she’ll work to expedite the construction of a fire hall in Peawanuck, currently in the design phase.

She said Ottawa also funds fire prevention and suppression training in First Nation communities.

“The ongoing work is increasing that amount of funding for communities,” Hajdu said.

“Certainly, the First Nations that I’ve visited across the country, that do have a fire service, have a better ability, obviously, to respond to emerging threats, like house fires.”

Hajdu said many First Nations also have infrastructure issues that lead to higher fire risks.

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Meanwhile, people in Peawanuck are heartbroken.

“I feel the anger in me, that my son had to go through this, that I almost lost my son,” Hughie-Wesley said.

Hughie-Wesley said doctors in Sudbury worry her son will never make a full recovery, but said he is improving.

Family of the deceased preferred not to speak, but said they’re aggrieved that the community didn’t have the resources to prevent this latest fatal fire -- and that houses lost haven’t been replaced.