Probe concludes trailer where Nova Scotia family of six died lacked smoke detector
A probe by Nova Scotia's fire marshal's office has found that the travel trailer where a family of six died amid toxic smoke last month no longer had smoke detection devices.
Doug MacKenzie, the acting chief fire marshal, said in an interview Thursday "there were no smoke alarms discovered" in the camper during the investigation, despite federal records indicating they were present when the Keystone Passport ultra-light trailer was manufactured.
The fire safety expert says a properly mounted device with a charged battery would have been capable of alerting people within seconds of the fire.
MacKenzie emphasized that time is crucial in situations where windows are closed and a trailer is tightly sealed up. "I can tell you from my experience ... that people can become overcome within minutes from smouldering fire," he said.
"Smoke detection is the earliest front-line defence you can have for securing the safety of your family. And every sleeping area should have an operational smoke detector present."
Thirty-year-old Robert Jorge (R.J.) Sears, 28-year-old Michelle Elaine Robertson, and their children -- 11-year-old Madison Anne-Marie Sears, eight-year-old Robert (Ryder) Sears, four-year-old Jaxson Robertson and three-year-old Collin Justin (C.J.) Sears -- died in the fire.
MacKenzie also said the overnight fire discovered Sept. 12 in remote Millvale, N.S., was accidental and started due to "misuse of smoking material" found in the kitchen area of the trailer. He said he couldn't provide the precise description of whether the "smoking material" was from a pipe or a cigarette, but clarified it wasn't a vaping device.
He said his team's Oct. 13 report into the cause found that toxins emitted during the smouldering fire included carbon monoxide and gases from burning polyurethane foam in the trailer.
The chief medical examiner has declined to provide the cause of the deaths, but MacKenzie said signs point toward smoke inhalation.
MacKenzie said the national fire code requires that smoke detectors be installed, and when his team checked with Transport Canada it was determined that the travel trailer had smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when it left the factory in 2007. In a followup email, he confirmed the trailer was purchased second-hand a few years ago, though the precise date was unavailable.
He said the probe did not determine precisely when or why the smoke detectors were removed, and he did not inquire with the registry of motor vehicles whether an inspection record was available for the vehicle.
Kim Masland, the minister of public works, said in an interview Thursday the registry of motor vehicles -- which her department oversees -- requires a safety check be done when a travel trailer is sold second-hand, but the check focuses on mechanical and lighting issues.
"Our responsibility is to make sure an RV or trailer is safe for the road .... We would not be going in and inspecting sleeping quarters within an RV or a travel trailer. Our mandate is specifically making sure the mechanical part of that is safe," she said.
Asked if the list of what would be checked during an inspection might expand in light of the tragedy, Masland said, "It's something we could look into."
She also said she had understood that some older recreational vehicles don't have smoke detectors in them, and she added that it's clearly up to owners to ensure the batteries in detectors are working.
A spokeswoman for the department said the registry of motor vehicles can't confirm if an inspection occurred when the Sears family took ownership, saying "this is confidential information."
MacKenzie noted the fire has been an event that has devastated the relatives of the Amherst family, and he hoped safety lessons learned might encourage citizens to keep their smoke detectors up-to-date both at home and in campers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2021.
-- With files from Keith Doucette.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.