Woman, child killed in trailer fire in Trenton
Dan Taekema | CBC News | Posted: March 14, 2025 1:05 PM | Last Updated: March 14
66-year-old woman and 1-year-old child dead, 3 others injured
A plastic slide and other toys could be seen scattered among the scorched remains of a mobile home in Trenton, Ont., on Friday morning, following a fire that police said left a one-year-old child and 66-year-old woman dead.
Three other people were injured, according to investigators.
"Our thoughts go out to the family and the community," said Quinte West Fire Chief John Whelan. "It was a very tragic event."
Whelan said firefighters were called to the mobile home park along Old Highway 2, just east of CFB Trenton, around 6 p.m. and found a residential trailer engulfed in flames.
"[It was] a very frantic scene with people screaming there were people still in the unit," the chief said in an interview Friday.
3 people escaped the flames
An adult and two children ages seven and nine escaped the fire, according to emergency officials.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said a 64-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious injuries and the two children were treated for non life-threatening injuries.
Whelan said someone who tried to get back into the trailer suffered burns on most of their body. The heat was enough to melt the siding on two neighbouring homes, he said.
The names of the victims have not been released.
Neighbours called 911 and managed to help the people who escaped the flames.
Those who live in the trailer park said it's a close-knit community and the tragedy has hit them hard, adding they feel deeply for the family that's in mourning.
Chief plans safety blitz
Two bouquets had been placed in the melting snow near the mobile home as fire investigators with flashlights peered into what was left of the structure.
OPP said it's investigating with the fire marshal and chief coroner's offices.
"Any death is tragic. It's difficult on a community as well as ... the people involved in the death investigation," said William Hay, an operations manager with the fire marshal's office. "The bar is raised even higher when there's a child involved."
Whelan said fire prevention workers were told someone had tried to extinguish a grease fire with water, and that the trailer had no working smoke detectors. The circumstances of the fire have not been officially confirmed.
Both the fire chief and the Hay from the fire marshal's office warned flames can spread quickly through mobile homes and camping trailers.
"[They're] very highly combustible," said Whelan. "We've seen them fully involved within between two and five minutes, and at that point you're fighting a defensive fire, where you can't get inside, it's just too much fire."
The chief said he plans to carry out a safety blitz at the park in the coming weeks, to remind residents how important it is to have a working smoke detector.