Tragic death in weekend house fire in Revelstoke’s Farwell neighbourhood

Community members are mourning the loss of Sonya Riome, who tragically lost her life in a house fire over the weekend. Friends and family have taken to their social media pages to post memories of Riome as they grieve.

Both the Revelstoke RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire, which broke out in a home in the Farwell area, near the intersection of Douglas Street and Wilson Street in the late morning of Saturday, October 24. In a statement released in the afternoon of Monday, October 26, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said police were called to assist the Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services.

“Fire officials located a deceased woman inside the home during a search of the structure,” states Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, spokesman for the BC RCMP in the Southeast District. “Although the investigation is ongoing, police do not believe that criminality was involved in this tragic blaze.”

See our coverage of the house fire here: 

Large structure fire in Revelstoke’s Farwell neighbourhood

The Mountaineer has also requested information from the BC Coroners Service. The RCMP statement noted the Coroners Service is conducting a concurrent investigation into the unexpected death of Riome.

As of the end of day on Monday, Oct. 26, there has been no statement from Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services about the incident.

Riome appeared in a story on revelstokemountaineer.com in March of 2020. The story profiled recent graduates of Okanagan College’s Health Care Assistant Certificate program, from which she had recently graduated.

Two GoFundMe pages popped up quickly on Saturday to help out the home’s owner, Lavone Calay, who has experienced significant loss this past year. Riome was a friend and former foster daughter to Calay, who also lost her husband to a stroke earlier this year. As of late Monday afternoon the two pages had raised nearly $16,000.

The donation pages can be found here and here.

Update: Tuesday, October 27

Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services and the BC Coroners Service have responded to requests for information from the Mountaineer.

In an emailed statement, Fire Chief Steven DeRousie said Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services responded to a report of a possible residential fire in the 1600 block of Douglas Street on Saturday, October 24 at 10:18 a.m. On arrival, fire crews found heavy smoke coming from the basement of the residence.

“Firefighters made four attempts to enter the structure but were unable due to the extreme conditions inside the building. Emergency Support Services attended the incident providing support to one displaced resident at this difficult time,” DeRousie said.

RFRS responded with 18 fire personnel, two fire engines, one ladder truck, one fire rescue truck and three command vehicles.

DeRousie said the investigation is ongoing and no fire cause has been released.

The BC Coroners Service likewise said its investigation is ongoing with no further information available.

“I can confirm that we were notified and are investigating a death in relation to a house fire on October 24 in Revelstoke. As it is early in the investigation to determine all of the facts — no further details are available at this time,” a spokesperson for the BC Coroners Service said in an email to the Mountaineer.