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Grand Forks man found dead after ‘tragic accident,’ Mounties say

The death is being investigated by the B.C. Coroner Service
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File photo

A man was found dead at the scene of a small fire on the city’s western outskirts Wednesday, Feb. 9, according to Grand Forks RCMP.

READ MORE: Motorist killed in Highway 3 crash was a Castlegar man: Grand Forks RCMP

Mounties and fire fighters were called to the fire on the 3600-block of Mill Road shortly after 7:30 p.m. The deceased was a Grand Forks resident in his late 60s, who breathed with the aide of bottled oxygen, Sgt. Darryl Peppler told The Gazette Monday, Feb. 14.

Calling the fire “a tragic accident,” Peppler said Mounties turned over their investigation to a B.C. coroner who attended the scene. The man’s family was notified right away.

Rich Piché, Dep. Fire Chief at Grand Forks Fire/Rescue, said the fire burned a small section of the man’s bachelor suite.

It’s not clear when the fire started, but Piché said it had burned itself out before he got to the scene. Oxygen tanks found at the scene suggest it started when the man’s breathing supply accidentally caught fire, he said.

The Coroner’s Service has not yet released the specific cause of death.


 

@ltritsch1
laurie.tritschler@grandforksgazette.ca

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laurie.tritschler@boundarycreektimes.com

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