Fire destroys Noelle O'Soup memorial on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
A memorial for an Indigenous teenage girl who was found dead in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside has been destroyed by a fire.
The fire broke out Wednesday night on East Hastings Street and Heatley Avenue where flowers, mementos, and other items had been placed outside the building where the body of 14-year-old Noelle O’Soup was found in May.
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She was one of two people found dead inside the apartment. The woman in her 30s has not been publicly identified. Another person, a man in his 40s, was also found dead in the same apartment in February.
The causes of the deaths and circumstances surrounding this tragedy continue to be investigated, according to police, but few details have been provided.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services says the fire was accidental and was sparked by a candle.
Lorelei Williams, the founder of Butterflies in Spirit and a spokesperson for O’Soup’s family, says many people are bringing items to the site Thursday to replace what was damaged in the fire.
Williams is also encouraging the public to attend a vigil on Saturday in Richmond to honour O’Soup, as well to call for justice in the deaths of two other Indigenous women: Tatyanna Harrison and Chelsea Poorman.
Harrison was officially reported missing by her mother on May 3 and was last in contact with her family at the end of March. Remains were discovered on a yacht in May but were not confirmed to be that of the 20-year-old until early August.
Poorman’s remains were discovered at a mansion in Vancouver’s Shaughnessy neighbourhood in April, less than two years after she was reported missing.
Butterflies in Spirit
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With files from Amir Ali and Megan Devlin
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