“At least he died without suffering,” comforts the father of the 5-year-old boy who died in the fire in Portneuf on Christmas Eve that killed three people and believes that candles used because of the lack of electricity were, the cause could be flames.
• Also read: Fire in Saint-Basile: a child and a young couple died
• Also read: Three dead in violent fire: “We have lost everything, we have nothing left”
Dozens of loved ones gathered in Saint-Basile on Tuesday to pray in front of the rubble of a triplex destroyed by the flames at dawn on December 24.
Photos, teddy bears and flowers were placed at the scene of the tragedy that killed little Dylan Pelletier-Lirette, 5, his mother Vanessa Pelletier and her spouse Anthony Biasotto.
“The hardest part was hearing my other son tell me he could never play with his brother again. The next few Christmases will never be the same for our family,” the child’s father, David Lirette, told the Journal.
“My little BoomBoom will watch over us from above…” he added, his eyes tearing and his throat tight with emotion.
Photo Martin Lavoie
Dozens of relatives of the three victims gathered in front of the rubble on Tuesday to meditate.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown, the Sûreté du Québec is currently conducting an investigation to shed light on the matter. But the family man has his own hypothesis.
Because the residence lost power due to the violent storm that crossed Quebec, Mr. Lirette believes candles would have been lit and then forgotten during the night.
“Vanessa liked to use candles during power outages. With two cats and two dogs, one of them probably caught one and it’s spread. It was an old building,” he explains.
The medical examiner had confirmed that the smoke inhalation was responsible for his son’s death and not the fire itself.
“He was sleeping, so he didn’t have a chance. But at least he died without pain,” Mr. Lirette sighs.
Photo Martin Lavoie
Puppies, flowers and photos were left on site.
This tragic event could have claimed two more victims. The couple, who lived on the ground floor of the building, were able to leave the house just in time thanks to an urgent need.
“My brother-in-law, who never drinks, had a few beers the night before. That morning he got up early to go to the toilet. That’s when he saw the smoke filling the room,” says Jonathan Laflamme, who went there to help his sister.
But when the fire brigade arrived, it was already too late for the neighbors upstairs, he says.
“When they opened the door upstairs with an axe, they fell back and shouted to send the water at once. The fire was too strong for them to come in,” added Mr Laflamme.
Little Dylan’s funeral will take place on January 29 at the La Souvenance funeral complex, near Val-Bélair.
The three victims
dylan Pelletier Lirette
Photo courtesy of David Lirette
vanessa Peltier
Photo from Vanessa Pelletier’s Facebook
Anthony biasotto
Photo from Anthony Biasotto’s Facebook
- 32 years old
- Spouse of Vanessa Pelletier
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