Mourners to gather in honour of three young victims of Victoria house fire

VICTORIA – A memorial is planned for tonight in downtown Victoria as friends and family remember three young people killed when flames raced through a heritage home in the capital city early Saturday morning.

The gathering is set for 7 p.m. outside Pacific Rim College, the institute of complementary medicine attended by 20-year-old victim Emily Morin.

Morin’s 26-year-old boyfriend, Mark Mitchell, also died, along with the couple’s roommate, 22-year-old University of Victoria student Georgina Klap.

The three were overcome as fire swept through the older home following a party.

Cause of the blaze has not been officially determined, but firefighters said residents had doused a fire in a couch on the porch earlier in the evening, and it’s possible the couch re-ignited.

Klap’s father is urging parents to ensure smoke detectors are installed in homes rented by their children, noting older homes should be of special concern. (CFAX)