An Alberta man mourns the loss of his wife, mother, friend and dog after a deadly fire at a house west of Edmonton over the weekend.
The Parkland County RCMP said they were called to a house fire in the Darbison Estates area near Gunn, Alta, around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The area is on the north side of Lac Ste. An.
The RCMP said there were believed to be several people in the house, but the home was engulfed in flames.
“He came to us, reported as a well-involved fire, already advanced,” Luck Ste. That’s what County Fire Chief Randy Schroeder said.
“The fire was described as coming out of all the windows and the whole house was involved and our first two arrived engines had to carry out defensive operations.
Read more: A teenager from Central Alberta died in a house fire
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Wally Wemp was at the country estate late Saturday night. He said he and a friend were unloading heavy equipment from a truck when they learned the house was on fire.
Wemp said he ran to the house and tried to enter both the front and the back, but the smoke and flames were too much to handle. He could not go inside to help his family.
“I decided that I should go in there and take my mother, my wife and my good friend (and) my dog out. It was impossible to enter, no matter how hard I tried, “he said Monday. “It was too hot. I did my best. I couldn’t get in. There were parts of the roof falling off, things exploding – literally exploding.
“The front entrance itself had double French doors and the smoke – I tried to enter, I tried to stay down – impossible. I went out, smashed the windows, started screaming, the flames exploded. I was still trying to get in – impossible.
“I went to the back door. The back door was knocked out and the door just blew right out of the hinges. It was so hot.
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“I can just sit there and do nothing. I heard screams and other things, I couldn’t enter.
Wemp said his mother, Barbara Ann Wempe, 82, his wife, Rochelle Aginas, 48, and his friend Doug Patterson, 67, died in the blaze.
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Barbara Ann Wemp, 82, was killed in a fire at a house near Gunn, Alta, on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Courtesy of Wally Wemp
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Wally Wemp (left) and Rochelle Aginas (right) pictured in 2017. Submitted to Global News
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Doug Patterson, 67, died in a fire at a house near Gunn, Alta, Sunday, April 24, 2022. Submitted to Global News
He said firefighters told him a pot of wires was found on the stove. The RCMP said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but is not currently thought to have been intentional.
“I’m lost. I don’t even know what to do,” Wemp said.
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“It’s all over. Dreams are over. I do not know what to do.”
After the fire was extinguished, police said three bodies were found in the home.
Read more: 1 killed, 2 sent to hospital after fire at Vegreville house
The RCMP did not provide additional information about the victims, but said the autopsy would be scheduled for a later date.
A total of 14 firefighters from three stations responded to the call.
“We had a minor firefighter who has recovered since then,” Luck Ste said. That’s what County Fire Chief Randy Schroeder said.
“We extend our condolences to the family members who were certainly affected and to the surrounding community.
Lac Ste. Ann County Reeve Joe Blakeman said he did not know the people killed in the blaze, but said the rural community would come together to support their loved ones.
“As a typical rural community, everyone will come together and be strong and support the family that is left, in any way.”
Lac Ste. Anne is about an hour west of Edmonton.
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