Amanda Nahwegahbow, 38, is being remembered by her family as a vibrant and resilient woman who could light up any room.
“I want people to remember my sister as the champion she was when she was younger,” said Alexandrea Wemigwans at a vigil held for Nahwegahbow Thursday afternoon.
“She was very spiritful, very happy. She could walk into a room and make anybody smile.”
Nahwegahbow, a mother of three and a member of Wiikwemikong First Nation, was found dead late Monday night in a tent at the Energy Court homeless encampment, where a fire had been reported.
The circumstances surrounding her death, and what caused the fire in the tent where she was later found, remain unknown.
Sudbury police said emergency crews were called just before 10 p.m. after individuals noticed a fire at a tent and extinguished the flames using snow. After the fire was put out, they discovered Nahwegahbow inside.
The investigation remains ongoing, with police working alongside the coroner’s office and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, outreach organizations say the tragedy has renewed concerns about how fires are handled at the encampment, where residents often rely on open flames to stay warm during extreme cold.
Those concerns had centred on the fire department’s previous practice of extinguishing fires at the site, which advocates said left people without a way to keep warm. City officials say that approach has since changed.
Fire department changes strategy
Greater Sudbury Fire Chief Rob Grimwood said the city recently revised how it handles fires at Energy Court in an effort to balance fire safety with the need for warmth.
"We were applying the open air fire burn by-law as drafted, and we were extinguishing fires in the burn barrel, because it was contrary to that by-law. We recognize, though obviously, that it's not a position that's helpful to the people who need that fire for warmth," Grimwood said.
"We have put together a process that approves a contained fire in a burn barrel, obviously with some restrictions."
Grimwood said fires are now permitted in burn barrels under specific conditions, including a ban on combustible materials and continuous monitoring.
The barrel is monitored by bylaw officers through a video feed to ensure the fire does not spread.
“We think that this decision that was was just made in the last couple of days really helps find balance in what's a challenging situation, so that previous criticism about the impact of putting the fires out was certainly valid," Grimwood said.
The fire chief said the city has also increased the number of fire extinguishers available at the warming centre near the encampment and ensured staff there have access to them.
"We know this isn't going to eliminate us getting dispatched out there, but it'll allow our captains to go out, do a risk assessment, ensure that the fire is safe and contained and allow it to burn rather than putting it out, and that's been well received, certainly by the community out at energy court," Grimwood said.