Teens who died in Charlottetown fire identified

Police have released the names of the three teenagers who died in a fire in Charlottetown early Saturday morning. All three were from the Montague area.

Charlottetown deputy police chief Gary McGuigan said the fire victims were

• Kenneth Cameron Irving
• Brandon Daniel Alexander MacKinnon
• Joseph Allison Reeves

The funeral home website says both Irving and MacKinnonwere 15. Reeves was 19.

The fire broke out early Saturday morning in an empty building at 207 Mount Edward Roadbehind the Charlottetown Mall.When a police officer responded the fire was already too advanced for him to enter the building.

He found one person outside, now in hospital in Halifax. Firefighters later found the three bodies inside.

The main focus of the investigation so far has been the identification of the victims, police said in a news release. They will now turn their attention to laying out a timeline of events leading up to the fire.

Police say at this point theydo not suspect any foul play.

Police have already conducted a number of interviews and will continue to interview and follow up with anyone who may have come in contact with the victims.

Police and fire officials are still waiting for medical clearance to speak with the person found outside the burning building. He was airlifted toHalifaxas a result of injuries sustained in the fire. Police have not yet been able to set a time for that interview.

Fire inspectors have been sifting through debris at the fire scene, trying to determine a cause, and say there is still a lot of work to be done. The investigation has been complicated by the weather and the extent of damage to the building.

Schools offering counselling

The English Language School Board had confirmed earlier that one of the victims was a student at Montague Regional High School, and another at Montague Intermediate.

Seana Evans-Renaud, principal of Montague Regional High School, said when classes resume the school will be providing support for grieving students.

"We will have extra counsellors on site," she said.

"We feel that it's important that students have a place to go that they can share their grief, share their concerns and be together."

School was cancelled Monday due to a stormy weather.

Evans-Renaud said she had been to visit the family of the dead student from her school.

"As a parent and as a principal it's devastating," she said.

"I just felt that it was important for me to let the parents know, and the grandparents were at the house, that we were there for them and doing everything to support their needs and their friends' and family's needs, because families are so interconnected in the community."

Fire officials are continuing their investigation into the cause of the fire.