Child, 6, among 5 bodies found in Victoria home

The bodies of five people, including a six-year-old boy,dead in what a coroner has called a murder-suicide, were found Tuesdayin the upscale home of a Victoria restaurateur and his family in the community of Oak Bay.

Police found the bodies of two men, two women and the boy in the spacious home on King George Terrace in the seaside village, a 15-minute drive from downtown Victoria, after they responded to a call from the home at 3:06 a.m. PT.

A gun did not cause the deaths,regional coroner Rose Stanton said.

"I can tell you there was flammable material, an attempt to set fire to the residence," she said.

No identities have been confirmed but Peter Lee, who owns a Korean restaurant in Victoria,lived in the house. Neighbours in Oak Bay said he and his wife were in a car accident recently and closed the business for a while.

A police spokesman said officers arrived at the scene and foundasuspect barricaded inside the house at the top of the residential street overlooking the ocean.

An emergency response team was called to the scene at about 4 a.m. The windows and doors of the house were smashed by police, and when they entered, they found the bodies. No one has been arrested in the case.

"We believe we have the suspect in the home," Sgt. John Price said. "We certainly believe, too, that was not a random act. We believe the suspect and deceased parties are known to each other."

Neighbours said a family of four with twochildren, somewhere between the ages oftwoand six, lived in the house where the bodies were found. The house waslisted for sale at just over $1 million.

Neighbours said the mother-in-law recently arrived to stay with family members, and they could be seen watching a dog.

Bert Vandergeest, wholives next door to the crime scene, told CBC News police arrived at his door at about 6 a.m. and "asked us to leave the house.We got up the kids and headed out as soon as we could."

Firefighters were called to the scene because a smell of gasoline was coming from the home, Price said. Six homes were temporarily evacuated.

Laurie Nation, who lives several houses away from the scene, said she could not believe what happened.

"It is a very quiet neighbourhood and peaceful, and we've often all met in gatherings," she said.