Father held son’s hand through broken window, unable to get him out of burning Portage la Prairie house

The father of a 12-year-old boy who died in a house fire in Portage la Prairie held his son’s hand through a broken window while trying to rescue him, a family member told the Free Press.

Alexander Beaulieu Jr. was trapped in his bedroom while flames spread and smoke filled the home early Sunday morning, his maternal uncle, Clint McIvor, said.

“He was a very special guy and a good kid. Everybody loved him,” McIvor said. “(His parents) are still in shock. They just want to keep to family right now. It’s really hard for them.”

Alexander’s parents and five siblings escaped the house, located in the first 100 block of 8th Street Northwest, when the fire was detected at about 4:40 a.m.

Relatives, friends and strangers rallied around the family to provide support and collect donations of clothing, food and other essentials.

“They lost everything in the fire. They’re starting from scratch again,” McIvor said.

The family was asleep when McIvor’s teenage niece woke up and smelled smoke. He said the fire started in the kitchen.

“My niece ran around and woke everyone up. She told everyone to call 911,” McIvor said.

He said Alexander’s brother climbed out of an upper-floor window and jumped; the sibling was shoeless in the snow, and the temperature outside was about -25 C.

McIvor said Alexander’s dad tried to get to his son’s bedroom, which required him to go through the kitchen, which was engulfed in flames.

The father went outside and tried to rescue Alexander, a Grade 7 student, through the bedroom window. McIvor said the window was small and Alexander was unable to get out.

“He was scared and he didn’t know what to do,” McIvor said. “My nephew was yelling like, “I want to get out!’ His father was holding his hand and saying, ‘We’re going to get you out.’”

He said Alexander collapsed into the smoke-filled room.

His parents and siblings, including twins aged about three, were outside the house when RCMP officers and Portage Fire Department members arrived.

“Officers at the scene ensured the seven surviving family members — two adults and five children — were safe, then attempted to enter the home from the back of the residence,” RCMP spokesman Kevin Engstrom wrote in an email. “Both RCMP and firefighters were unable to enter the fully engulfed home at that time.”

Ryan Thompson, Portage’s deputy fire chief, said 911 dispatch and people at the scene let firefighters know that one person was trapped inside the house.

“Fire crews did everything possible through the heavy smoke and heat to locate the victim but were unable to reach the victim in time,” Thompson said in a statement. “It’s a tragic loss and our hearts go out to their family.”

Alexander’s body was later recovered from the house. The survivors had relatively minor injuries, police said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Engstrom said the investigation will determine whether there were smoke detectors inside the home and whether they were operational at the time of the fire.

McIvor said Alexander was a quiet boy who attended a school in Portage and was an avid video-game player.

“He was pretty much a stay-at-home kid,” the uncle said. “He would always be the protector of the house. He would watch over everything.”

The house belonged to a relative, McIvor said.

He said his sister, brother-in-law and their children, who are members of Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, are moving into emergency housing.

Loved ones started a donation drive and held raffles to raise money for the family, who need need furniture, dishes and other housewares, McIvor said.

“My heart breaks for the family, the friends, the classmates and also for our first responders.”

Mayor Sharilyn Knox said Portage residents were devastated when they learned a child died in the fire.

“House fires are tragic as it is, but when there’s a loss of life and it’s a child, it’s just unbelievable,” she said. “My heart breaks for the family, the friends, the classmates and also for our first responders.

“The school and all of the classmates and children finding out today, it’s just devastating.”

Portage la Prairie School Division’s crisis response team, including counsellors and social workers, attended Alexander’s school Monday.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and their loved ones as they face this heartbreaking situation and focus on recovery,” Supt. Pam Garnham wrote in a letter to parents and guardians.

“A loss of this magnitude sends shockwaves through our entire community, and we want to ensure you are aware of the steps we are taking to support our students and staff.”

People who live near the fire scene offered condolences to the family.

“I just feel sad for the family. That’s a terrible loss,” Portage resident Milly Nadon said.

Meanwhile, in Winnipeg, one person was unaccounted for after a fire destroyed a house in the 600 block of Nassau Street South late Saturday night.

Including Sunday’s incident in Portage, at least seven fire-related deaths have occurred in Manitoba in less than four months. Five were in Winnipeg and one was in Berens River First Nation.

Three of the deaths in Winnipeg were homicides, police said.

United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president Nick Kasper said it’s not uncommon for multiple fatal fires to occur in a span of a few months.

“We have long suffered some of the highest property and life losses to structure fire anywhere in Canada,” he said of Manitoba’s capital.

Winter is one of the most fire-prone times of the year.

“Fire can impact anyone at any time, and we would just urge that people take this opportunity to ensure that fire-safety planning is a priority in their household,” Kasper said.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca