Three children die in Chilliwack trailer fire

CHILLIWACK, B.C. — Three children, including a severely disabled 17-year-old girl who used a wheelchair, died as fire filled the trailer where they lived with dense smoke.

Terri Ibisoglu, a neighbor, said she was awakened Tuesday morning shortly after midnight as police and firefighters arrived and saw smoke pouring from the windows of the trailer.

"It was very thick, black smoke," Ibisoglu said. "You couldn't possibly breathe in that. It would have filled that tiny mobile in seconds."

Fire Chief Richard Ryall said 32 firefighters and four trucks were on the scene within nine minutes after the alarm was sounded and quickly extinguished the fire, which was confined primarily to the kitchen area.

The dead children were identified as Angel Freeman, 17, and her brothers Stephen, 15, and Shane, 11. Their mother, Leah Freeman, was away at the time. Police said she arrived home about an hour after the fire.

Ryall said there was no sign that the trailer had a smoke detector. The cause of the fire was still being investigated.