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
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.