The fire marshal's office says that the placement of smoke alarms may have played a role in the death of a Toronto family on Christmas Eve.
Geoff Taber, Jacquie Gardner, and their two sons were killed when a blaze broke out in their cottage on Stoney Lake late last year.
The fire burned the home to the ground.
Scott Evenden with the Ontario Fire Marshal's office says that due to the extensive damage, investigators were not able to determine the exact cause of the blaze, or ignition point.
They are able to say that the area of origin was the living room.
Evenden adds that the cottage was open concept with a vaulted ceiling. He says there were multiple smoke alarms in the home, but they were not located in the vault or near the stairwell.
He explains that smoke would have risen to the vault, and by the time it reached the smoke alarms below, it would have been too late to alert the family.
"This regretfully, I believe, ultimately played a role in the inability for the victims to escape safely from the structure."
He says the tragedy is a sad reminder that it is significantly important to ensure you install your smoke alarms properly.