A mother and her nine-year-old daughter are dead following a house fire in Oshawa on Wednesday morning.
The fire broke out at a home on McGrigor Street, near King Street West and Centre Street South, shortly after 8 a.m.
Oshawa Fire Deputy Chief Todd Wood told said crews arrived to find the two-storey home fully engulfed in flames.
“They encountered heavy smoke and flames from all levels of the house, (including) the front porch, the main floor, and the second story,” he said.
“In the midst of this, we ended up removing three victims from the residence.”
Wood told reporters at the scene that a 46-year-old woman and two of her daughters, ages 9 and 12, were pulled from the home shortly after crews arrived.
The mom and the nine-year-old child were subsequently pronounced dead in hospital while the second child has now been transported to SickKids hospital for further treatment.
The father of the two children, identified as a 56-year-old man, was also taken to a local hospital for treatment and is expected to survive.
Three police officers who responded to the scene suffered smoke inhalation and are currently in hospital, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) is expected to attend the scene to investigate the cause and origin of the deadly blaze.
At the height of the two-alarm fire, 25 members of the fire service were on scene, Wood said.
He was unable to confirm whether there were any working smoke detectors in the home.
Wood said it has been a “difficult day” for the first responders who were called to the scene.
“It is a tough day for everyone,” he added.
Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter called it a “heartbreaking tragedy” in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with the father and another child who were transported to hospitals with life-threatening injuries,” Carter said.
“We are grateful to our first responders, including our dedicated fire crews, police officers and EMS personnel for their courageous efforts.”
The mayor added that his thoughts were also with the officers who were treated for smoke inhalation.
