Fatal house fire the latest tragedy to hit remote northern Manitoba First Nation

The chief of Barren Lands First Nation says the community is devastated after a woman was killed in a house fire on New Year's Day — the fourth tragedy to hit the remote Manitoba reserve in the last few weeks.

Chief Michael Sewap was out Monday afternoon when he noticed thick black smoke coming from a house across the lake. He said he rushed over to try to help and noticed fire coming from the kitchen window. 

"I got there and there were people outside already screaming," he said. "Everybody panicked."

Mounties received a report about the fire around 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 1, an RCMP news release says. A fire truck was at the scene when police arrived, but the house was fully engulfed in flames.

Sewap said there had been a party at the house the evening before that continued into the day and eight people were inside sleeping when the fire broke out. 

The chief said one man inside woke up when the smoke alarm went off but the house was already filled with smoke. The fire was moving quickly. 

"Black smoke and all you can see was like a red glow coming from the kitchen," he said. "A friend of mine tried to go inside the house but that smoke was all the way to the floor. He couldn't go in."

Sewap said his 20-year-old daughter was one of the people sleeping inside who managed to make it out safely.

"I was shocked. I'm still shocked. I'm so glad my daughter was able to wake up by the smoke alarm," he said. 

At the time he said there were two people who were unaccounted for. 

He said they broke a bedroom window and started calling out for people. They then moved to a second window and kept yelling and trying to get anyone out who may have been stuck inside. 

"Then all of a sudden I heard a voice there somewhere below the window," he said. "They jumped out the window and got injured through the cut glass window."

'The smoke was so thick'

Sewap said they were told there might be one more person inside but they weren't sure. 

The next day, police officers found a woman dead inside the home, which was destroyed by the fire. 

"Nobody knew she was there. We weren't positive. We couldn't go inside or even crawl on the floor. Nobody could make it [in], the smoke was so thick," he said. "It was frightening. I wouldn't want to experience this again." 

An investigation by the fire commissioner's office, Thompson RCMP and the chief medical examiner is underway. 

The young woman is the fourth person from the community who has died since November. 

Sewap said his nephew died by suicide recently and another person was killed in Winnipeg last month. They are still waiting for a cause of death in the other case. 

Sewap said there are 537 people living on the First Nation, which is situated just inside the border with Saskatchewan, almost 1,000 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

"It really impacts the community," he said. "It's really very hard."

The Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak crisis response team is on its way to the community to support those impacted by the fire. 

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• Call or text 988. Calls and texts are directed to a network of partners in communities across the country offering suicide prevention services such as counselling.The 988 service is available in English and French to all.
• Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text between 4 p.m. and midnight ET).
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.

This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.