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Vigil planned for Saturday to honour victims of fatal Hamilton apartment fire

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A community vigil is planned for Saturday evening to honour three people — including two children — who died in a Hamilton apartment fire Sunday morning.

The memorial is scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. on the corner of John and Brock streets, just outside the 20-storey tower where the blaze broke out.

The fire started in a unit on the first floor. A police spokesperson says four of the six people in the unit were able to escape.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the 21-month-old and three-year-old children dead in a bedroom.

READ MORE: Police say children who died in Hamilton apartment fire were 21 months, 3 years old

Hamilton police homicide detectives are mandated under the pediatric death protocol to lead the investigation into the deaths of the two children since it was sudden and they’re under the age of five.

Officers say there is no information to suggest the fire is suspicious.

Fire crews also found a 52-year-old man in the stairwell on the ninth floor. Police say he was a resident of the building and had no connection to the people in the first-floor unit.

The circumstances surrounding his death are still under investigation.

Multiple people were taken to hospital with various injuries as well.

WATCH MORE: 2 children, 1 man dead after apartment building fire in Hamilton

The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) is investigating the cause, origin and circumstances of the blaze.

OFM public relations officer Sean Driscoll told CHCH News Friday that a smoke alarm was recovered but further examination is needed to determine whether it was working at the time of the fire.

He says investigators will remain at the scene for “as long as necessary.”

“While it was anticipated that the scene portion of the investigation may be complete today, it is difficult to predict with certainty,” he told CHCH News.

READ MORE: OPP charge 2 people in series of suspicious Norfolk County fires