Oshawa house fire leaves mom, 9-year-old girl dead

Two kids and a woman have been pulled from a house fire in Oshawa, Durham Regional Police say.

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.