2 dead in Transcona brush fire identified as brothers from Bunibonibee Cree Nation

The two men found badly burned after an "unusual"brush fire Friday night were brothers originally from BunibonibeeCree Nation.

The fire happened behind thePetlandstore on Regent Avenue W. Winnipeg police said first responders were called at 11:15 p.m. and found the men in the field, suffering from "significant burns."They later died in hospital.

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Chief Tim Muskego ofBunibonibeeCree Nation, also known as Oxford House First Nation, identified the men as brothers Randy and Wendell Robinson, band members who had moved to Winnipeg. He said he believed both were under 40 years of age.

While he didn't personally know the brothers, he knows their family; most of their extended family lives on the First Nation about 580 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

"A small community like Oxford House, when something happens as tragic as this, it is very devastating to thecommunity. Everybody knows one another," Muskego said.

The men had moved to Winnipeg "some time ago"and had immediate family in the citywhom he'd spoken to on the phone.

"It's very devastating to them. I can just imagine," he said. "They were doing terrible, as one can imagine."

Muskegosaid while he's spoken with both the family andWinnipeg police, he's still waiting for more details surrounding the circumstances of the brothers' deaths.

The family requested privacy when reached by the CBC.

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On Sunday, the ground in front of a line of bushes was charred, and only the bottoms of the trees were burned.

Police called the fire "unusual" on the weekend.

"It is questionable to me. I mean I don't know why these two young gentlemen would be out there when they live in the downtown area," said Muskego.

The family is also waiting for more information from authorities, he said.

Winnipeg police would not reveal any new information about the fire at this time.