Mother died in Pukatawagan First Nation house fire

The father of a woman who died in a house fire in a northwestern Manitoba First Nation this week said his relatives who escaped the fireare carryingsurvivor's guilt.

"Some of them, you know, blame themselves," said Jimmy Colomb Sr., who lost his daughter Daisy, 41, in the midday fire.

"It's the way things are that we can't see our future, the way things will happen."

Her home was fully engulfed by a fireonAmiskDriveinPukatawaganFirst Nation, around700 kilometres north of Winnipeg, at about 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, RCMPsaid.

Mounties said five people escaped before the blaze got out of control, but one person was found dead after the fire was put out.

Community members have identified the womanas Daisy Colomb, a mother who was reportedsleeping while the fire raged. She was living at the home with two of her children and a number of relatives.

'He thought he was all by himself'

ColombSr. said his grandson was sleepingin the basement when he heard screamingoutside. He was the last person to flee the burning home.

"He got up and ran through the kitchen. That's when he saw the flames coming out of the stove," his grandfather said. "He thought he was all by himself."

Police have not identified the cause ofthe fire.

ColombSr. rushed to his formerhome when he was phoned about the fire.

He said hisrelatives didn't know Daisy was inside.She often goes for walks during the day.

"There was nothing I could do because the house was full of smoke already," he said. "It burned like a piece of paper."

Daisy looked out for family

He said his daughterwas always there for her family.

"She was really helpful toother peopleand was willing to help no matter how hard her life was."

Hillary Cook consideredDaisy to be more of a sisterthan a friend.

Cook is planninga bingo fundraiser and is collecting donations fromPukatawaganresidents for the family.

"They lost everything and they have nothing," Cook said. "That's why Itook it upon myself to try and do something for this family."

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She remembers her friend as an easygoingperson who doted on her family.

"I'mgoing to miss her laugh andher walking by my house, just dropping byor asking me for a smoke," she said. "I'll miss everything about my friend."

The family lost many material possessions, she said. Daisy's oldest daughter was collecting items as shepreparedto become a mother, while the boys were creating a video game room they wanted to make into a gathering placefor community youth, she said.

RCMPareinvestigating the fire with help from the office of the fire commissioner.

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