A three-year-old boy found inside a burning building in Six Nations was later pronounced dead in hospital.
Firefighters were called to the home on Fourth Line, just east of Ohsweken, shortly after 11:30 a.m. Friday.
Six Nations fire chief Matthew Miller says crews arrived to find flames and heavy smoke coming out of the home. They were told that a child was trapped inside.
A search team found the child on the second floor, unresponsive. He was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Six other children were also taken to hospital. Officials say all seven children were related and were living in the same home. One adult was also hospitalized.
Firefighters were able to knock down the fire in a little less than an hour, although extinguishing it proved difficult due to periodic gusts of wind.
Miller said firefighters would likely remain on-site through the night Friday and for most of Saturday as they attempted to determine the cause of the fire.
“We’ve got a number of points of interest, but we still need to do further investigation,” he said.
The cause was not immediately apparent, according to Manny Garcia, a supervisor with the Office of the Fire Marshal.
“I don’t believe there’s been any indication of a suspicious nature, but then again it’s far too early (to say),” he said.
More information was expected to be provided Saturday at a news conference.
Six Nations Police say they want to hear from anyone who has information about the cause of the fire.
With reporting by Natalie van Rooy
