UPPER SALMON CREEK, N.B. -- Shock and sadness have descended upon the community of Upper Salmon Creek, N.B., after the bodies of two people were found inside a burned-out home on Saturday.
Charred remains are all that's left of the home, which is near Chipman, N.B., after the fire ripped through around 8 a.m. Saturday.
The two-storey farmhouse couldn't be saved, with Chipman Fire Department noting it was fully engulfed when they arrived on the scene.
Minto resident Gregory McLean recounts listening to the incident on his scanner in his hometown –about 20 minutes away. He travelled to the scene and watched from his window as the community fire trucks rushed to the scene
"About 15, maybe 20 minutes later, Chipman Fire Department requested for mutual aid – Minto Fire Department for backup to go to Chipman."
Once the fire was extinguished, crews were able to get inside – where they found the bodies of two adults.
"There were some rumours when we got there that they hadn't been seen since the day before," says Chipman Fire Chief Barry Armstrong. "So, we were concerned that they may have not gotten out of the residence."
Making matters worse was the weather.
"Our first responders, like Minto and Chipman Fire Department, that hurts them when they go to the scene and they can't get close to the house," says McLean. "The wind was bad at the time, and they couldn't get really close to it cause it was dangerous for the firefighters too."
Chief Armstrong says Saturday's high winds played a role in fanning the flames and destroying the house. Crews were on scene all day Saturday, through the night and into Sunday morning extinguishing flare-ups.
"It's just my opinion, but I'm assuming that if this house had its smoke detectors, it wouldn't have had to turn out this way," says Armstrong.
The outcome, however, has been nothing short of a tragedy for the small, tight-knit community.
"It's rough on the community–the firefighters are probably in mourning," says McLean.
Meanwhile, RCMP says an autopsy is likely to be scheduled in the coming days to determine the identities of the two individuals found in the home and their causes of death.