The Filipino Channel reports that the husband of a Filipino nurse and a long-time North Vancouver City Councillor and his daughter died in a house fire.
Multiple family members confirmed the death of Bob Fearnley and his daughter Gayle
The fire also displaced Via Fearnley and her son Paolo.
“I am incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Bob and his daughter,” Mayor Linda Buchanan said in a statement to CTV News. “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 ordered flags to fly at half-staff in memory of Fearnley.
Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
“Because of the heavy fire load, we were not able to make entry until we were able to knock the flames back and of course we made entry as soon as we safely could,” said assistant fire chief Scott Fergusson to North Shore News. “This is a bad one. Any time you have a fatality, it’s going to be a bad one.”
“He had an amazing family,” former city mayor Darrell Mussatto said. “He was admired by a lot of people for his dedication and he will very much be missed in our city. It’s a sad day for North Vancouver.”
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