Carbonear orders demolition of house where Quinn Butt found dead

The burnt-out home where five-year-old Quinn Butt was found dead in Carbonear is set to come down.

Carbonear's town council voted Monday night to issue a demolition order for the house on Hayden Heights, where the young girl's body was found in April.

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Quinn Butt was found dead when firefighters were called to a fire at the home at about 5 a.m. on April 24. Her father, Trent Butt, was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and arson.

"As it stands there right now, it's a constant reminder of the tragedy that happened on that night," Mayor George Butt Jr. told CBC News on Tuesday afternoon.

"The house is beyond repair, and while it's still there, every time you see it, that terrible, terrible thing comes in your mind."

The mayor said Monday that the town council was hoping to have the building demolished sooner, but only recently learned that a bank had taken ownership of the property.

The house should come down in about 30 days, he said, at no cost to the town.

A preliminary inquiry for Trent Butt is slated to begin on Jan. 12 in Harbour Grace.

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"By getting rid of the building, that will help in some way, and then the quicker this trial goes through and gets straightened away, well then everybody can start to heal a bit," said the mayor.