Almost 48 hours after a fire that killed three people in Saint-Basile, County Portneuf, on Christmas Eve, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) revealed the identities of the victims.
• Also read: Saint-Basile: Three people are killed in a fire
• Also read: Three dead in violent fire: “We have lost everything, we have nothing left”
According to SQ, the fire started around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday in a triplex at Ring Sainte-Angélique. The flames are said to have started at the third-floor accommodation, where a woman was found unresponsive.
This is Vanessa Pelletier, 36 years old. Resuscitation maneuvers were performed but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The body of Anthony Biasotto, 32, was also found. According to information on Facebook, this should be her spouse. A 5-year-old boy also lost his life. The SQ did not provide any information on the identity of the child.
SQ spokesman Stéphane Tremblay said the tragedy was not of a criminal nature.
“At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be any criminal element,” he said. However, the cause is still unclear.
It was determined that there was no electricity in the area at the time of the tragedy.
Several of Vanessa Pelletier’s relatives paid tribute to her on Facebook in the hours following the tragedy.
“Rest in peace my beautiful van. A woman bursting with life,” wrote a friend.
“I love you my little sister [cœur] as we were always called! Your smile, your madness, your zest for life and your character [vont] miss many of us! […] She leaves behind a devastated family,” wrote another relative.
A crowdfunding campaign was launched on the platform GoFundMe to raise funds for the father of the deceased child was published on social media.
The goal was to raise $25,000 to support the young victim’s bereaved father and brother. As of Monday afternoon, a total of $24,000 had already been raised thanks to more than 200 donations. The holiday spirit visibly inspired some people when an anonymous donor donated $10,000.