Niagara police say an early morning fire in the Township of Wainfleet has claimed the life of one person.
Officers say the call came in around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Wainfleet Fire and Emergency Services battled the blaze at a camper trailer in the area of Forks Road West, between Young’s Road North and Morog Road.
“This was a camper trailer with one individual possibly still inside,” Wainfleet Fire Chief Morgan Alcock said. “Initial crews arrived to find the nearby barn had caught fire, and at that point the trailer had been fully consumed and we were unable to locate the occupant.”
One of the occupants of the trailer was found with significant burn injuries and was taken to hospital. They are currently in critical, but stable condition.
Niagara police say another person was found dead inside the trailer by firefighters — their age and gender is currently unknown.
“Due to the extent of the damages to the trailer and the person, that’s not going to be determined for quite some time,” said Const. Richard Hingley, with the Niagara Regional Police Service. “This is an incident of tragic loss in the community, and at this point, we hope we can get some closure for any family that has questions.”
Alcock said there were two occupants inside the trailer, and that nobody lived in the house next door.
He said one of the occupants had noticed the fire in the middle of the night, and went to get help at a nearby house.
Someone who lives in the area said they awoke to the sound of sirens, and when they came down the street they saw smoke and flames.
The Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating, as the cause of the fire and death are still under investigation.
Roads in the area have since been reopened.