ROCHFORT BRIDGE, Alta. — A house fire that killed an Alberta couple and their three young grandchildren has been deemed accidental by the fire commissioner’s office.
The RCMP says no further information will be provided out of respect for the family’s privacy.
Emergency crews were called out on Dec. 5 to the hamlet of Rochfort Bridge near Mayerthorpe, about 100 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
The bodies were found after an extensive search.
Family identified the adults as Marvin and Janet Gibbs, who had been married for seven years.
The children had been living with them.
Mysty Schallock, the daughter of Marvin Gibbs, said shortly after the fire that the children were her stepsister’s kids.
Schallock said her father had been a volunteer firefighter and she expressed dismay over how the tragedy could have happened.
“How (is) someone who is well-trained and has helped other people out of the same situation (unable) to get himself out?” she asked.
Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakoda Sioux Nation said people in the community were focused on helping the family get through its grief.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2019
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
