A 20-year-old woman was arrested for arson after Chemawawin Cree Nation’s nursing station burned down Monday morning.
Chemawawin RCMP were told about the fire at about 5:35 a.m. and found the building engulfed in flames.
A preliminary investigation determined the cause of the fire was incendiary, RCMP said in a news release. The woman arrested remains in police custody.
The nursing station in Chemawawin Cree Nation burned down Monday morning. (Supplied)
Chief Clarence Easter and the rest of Chemawawin’s band council called the fire a “tragic event” in a notice to community members posted on social media. It asked people to “please be patient” as the council makes efforts to deal with the community’s medical needs.
Patients will be seen at either the Grand Rapids nursing station or The Pas, the notice said. Emergency patients will be sent directly to The Pas.
The fire is the latest major crime in Chemawawin and the adjacent community of Easterville, which is about 460 km northwest of Winnipeg.
A 16-year-old girl was found slain in an open area in Easterville early Friday. A 15-year-old boy is facing second-degree murder charges.
A 14-year-old girl was slain in Chemawawin on May 13. She was pronounced dead at the now-destroyed nursing station before RCMP officers arrived there. A 19-year-old man, Kingsley Lachose, is charged with second-degree murder.
A 32-year-old woman was slain in Easterville on May 4. The victim’s cousin, a 35-year-old woman, was seriously injured. Two girls, one 13 years old and the other 14, were charged with second-degree murder.
After the May 13 killing, the First Nation put out a community notice declaring a crisis situation over violence and crime.
The notice said machetes, knives, bear spray and guns are prohibited in the community and that anyone who causes harm with any of the weapons will be subject to banishment.
The notice also mentioned a curfew for 18-year-old residents and another curfew for anyone 17 or younger.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca