Quebec police no longer looking for second person after fatal house fire in Beauce

By The Canadian Press on November 17, 2024.

Quebec provincial police say they're no longer looking for a second person following a fatal Friday night house fire in the Beauce region southeast of Quebec City. A Surete du Quebec police car is seen at their headquarters in Montreal, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

MONTREAL – Quebec provincial police say they’re no longer looking for a second person following a fatal Friday night house fire in the Beauce region southeast of Quebec City.

Police had originally said one person had died and one was missing, but Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Élizabeth Marquis-Guy said today that the victim was the only person in the home when the fire broke out.

Emergency services were called Friday evening to report the blaze in the home in Saint-Georges, about 85 kilometres southeast of Quebec City.

The body of one victim was found on Saturday in the burned residence.

Police had originally said they were looking for a missing man in his 50s and another in his 60s, but said Sunday that an autopsy would be needed to confirm the victim’s identity.

Marquis-Guay said investigators were working alongside the coroner’s office to determine the circumstances surrounding the fire, including whether there is a criminal element.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2024.