Greg Nesteroff
Black Press
RCMP say a woman’s remains have been discovered following a house fire on Purdy Rd. in Hills on Monday.
Police, the BC Coroners Service, and the BC Fire Commissioner’s Office conducted a thorough scene examination Tuesday in an attempt to determine the cause, Sgt. Darryl Little said.
“At this point there is no evidence of foul play,” he said. “It appears that the fire may have been caused from a wood burning cookstove.”
Little said there is evidence to suggest the woman re-entered the home to save her belongings but was overcome by the fire, which destroyed the home.
A positive identification of the remains has not been made.
Slocan Lake RCMP arrived at the home just after midnight Monday to find it fully engulfed in flames and the homeowner, a 44-year-old woman, unaccounted for.
Local residents with help from the Hills volunteer fire department extinguished the blaze before it could spread to the nearby forest.