RCMP investigating after fatal fire kills two in Nain, N.L.

The RCMP logo is seen on the shoulder of a superintendent during a news conference, Saturday, June 24, 2023 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A police investigation is underway following a house fire that killed two people in the remote Newfoundland and Labrador community of Nain.

Mounties say a man, 66, and a woman, 44, died in the blaze, which broke out Thursday evening at a residence on Middle Path Road.

Nain RCMP arrived on scene around 9 p.m. as firefighters battled the flames, according to a news release shared Friday.

“Two individuals were discovered deceased inside the home,” RCMP said.

Police say the cause of the fire is under investigation and that they have secured the scene, “pending the arrival of a Fire Scene Investigator from the provincial Fire Commissioner’s Office.”

Officers with RCMP’s Labrador District General Investigation Section are supporting the fire investigation, police said. The Office of the Medical Examiner “has also been engaged.”

In the release, Mounties offered “sincere condolences to the family, friends and community of the deceased.” They also thanked responders, including firefighters and paramedics, for their efforts.

Nain, the northernmost community in N.L.’s Nunatsiavut region, has a population of roughly 1,200 people, according to 2021 census data.

Anyone who witnessed the fire or has video footage from the area on Nov. 27 is asked to call Nain RCMP at 709-772-5400.