Former North Vancouver city councillor identified as one of the people killed in early morning fire

City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan says that former city councillor Robert (Bob) Fearnley and his daughter were the two people that died in a house fire in North Vancouver Thursday morning.

“On behalf of Council I want to extend my deepest condolences to the friends and families across the North Shore who are grieving this tragic loss,” she said in a statement.

“Bob was an active member of our community and dedicated many years to public service, having served on City Council from 1996 to 2011.”

Buchanan says that flags across the city will also fly at half-mast “in recognition and remembrance.”

The North Vancouver RCMP previously confirmed the deaths of a man and woman from the same family as a result of the early morning fire in the Delbrook neighbourhood, but have not confirmed the names of either person.

Mounties say “several” family members were able to escape the flames before the house became fully engulfed and were rushed to the hospital. Police say they are in stable condition.

We are in the very early stages of this investigation, Const. Mansoor Sahak of the North Vancouver RCMP said. RCMP investigators will be working closely with the DNVFRS to determine the cause of the fire.

“We have to determine the cause…This is standard procedure. Unfortunately tragically, two people lost their lives, and so we want to determine the cause of the fire. It’s too early to determine whether this was an arson or an act of intention,” Sahak said.

North Vancouver RCMP investigating structure fire that claimed the lives of 2 people.

There will be a media availability at 9:30 am at the North Vancouver RCMP det. 147 E 14th St North Vancouver with @DNVFRS to provide an update.

Media release: https://t.co/cDeiGqZLRK pic.twitter.com/5EhV0GXJeB

— North Vancouver RCMP (@nvanrcmp) February 9, 2023

District of North Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (DNVFRS) Assistant Fire Chief Scott Ferguson tells CityNews firefighters were called to the home on Delbrook Avenue near Granada Crescent around 3:15 a.m., where they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the first and second floors.

“They started actioning the fire as soon as they got here, and we attempted to do primary searches as we had reports of people missing at the time of our arrival,” he said.

Twenty-seven firefighters attended the blaze from both the District of North Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver.

Half of the house was already engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, Ferguson says, and on their way to the call, some crews could even see the glow of the flames in the distance.

“They knew that they were going to be dealing with a large fire,” he said. “It’s a tough situation for them. I talked to the officer that was first on scene. There was wires involved that entered the house, electrical wires that were arcing at the time, and heavy flame involvement.”

Ferguson says as part of any response to a fire, firefighters complete a 360-degree assessment of the blaze, however, because of the size and sheer force, the officer was unable to complete that task Thursday morning.

“Because of the heavy fire level, we weren’t able to make entry until we were able to knock the flames back. And then we, of course, made entry as soon as we safely could,” he explained.

Two cars were engulfed in flames when crews arrived on the scene, Ferguson says, adding that “one of them was a hybrid and there was a small explosion that the crews had to deal with.” He could not confirm whether the vehicles were the cause of the fire.

Deadly early morning fire in North Vancouver’s Delbrook neighbourhood. RCMP not confirming number of people killed. pic.twitter.com/kzRVRLPlFl

— Mike Lloyd (@llikemoyd) February 9, 2023

CityNews spoke to a neighbour, Susan, who says she woke up to the sounds of commotion from neighbours and “popping” in front of her house.

“I came out and I couldn’t believe how fully engulfed the house was. They had called 911. And I appreciate it takes a long time, but it feels so long when you’re waiting for that type of thing,” she said.

“The house is totally gone.”

The BC Coroners Service has confirmed to CityNews it has been notified of the incident and is now investigating, while the North Vancouver RCMP, Victim Services, and the North Shore Emergency Management are providing assistance to the families affected by the fire.

-With files from Sonia Aslam, Greg Bowman, Robyn Crawford, and Emily Marsten