Officials have confirmed the death count in a Monday house fire in the Cowichan community of Maple Bay has climbed to three as a fundraising campaign has been set up for the owners. 

Sources confirmed Wednesday that two tenants of the downstairs suite of a Maple Bay home and their guest died as a result of the Oct. 28 blaze, at the home owned by Tom Kalmar and Leslie Cameron, who lived upstairs.

The owners weren't home at the time of the fatal fire but have lost their home and all of their possessions. 

"I was driving home and got stuck in the traffic without realizing why, but then read a post in the Maple Bay [Facebook] group and realized it was my parents home that was on fire," explained Brinna Cameron, Tom and Leslie's daughter. "So, I pulled over and ran. I knew my dad would have been at work but I didnB次元官网网址檛 know if my mom was still in the house or not."

She had in fact left the house already to attend a yoga class.

"Those of you who know Tom and Leslie know them to be kind, generous, loving people," said family friend Suzanna Loberg, the online fundraiser's organizer. "Tom and Leslie are currently looking at finding a new place to live and replacing a lifetime of possessions. Any help or assistance at this time would be greatly appreciated."

The call-out required two dozen firefighters from all four North Cowichan fire halls while another dozen North Cowichan firefighters as well as members of the Duncan fire department were all on standby at their halls.

"The house is a total loss," said North Cowichan fire chief Ron French.

RCMP confirmed Wednesday the fire was not deemed suspicious and the case had been turned over to the coroner.

Information about the deceased was unavailable at the time of this post.

Meanwhile, the Maple Bay business community and beyond have rallied with the Lion Rampant pub offering up freezer meals for the duo and Moo's Pizza auctioning off a prized flannel.

On Saturday, Nov. 9, Society Barbers and Society at the Hall is hosting a B次元官网网址淔or our Neighbours FundraiserB次元官网网址� and will be donating all profits for the day from both shops. They will also be collecting donations for the homeowners for those who would like to contribute but donB次元官网网址檛 need a haircut.

Others have offered up everything from shoes and clothes to gift cards and more.

"We are incredibly blown away at the support weB次元官网网址檝e been receiving from the community," said Cameron. "WeB次元官网网址檙e so grateful."

Those willing to lend a hand can contact Loberg through the fundraising page.

The online fundraiser can be found at