Firefighters say “Something wasn’t right” about Klaus farmhouse blaze
Two firefighters who responded to the fire at the Klaus family farmhouse near Castor on Dec. 8, 2013 took the stand in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench on Wednesday.
They were the first two witnesses called by the Crown at the triple murder trial for Jason Klaus, 41, and Joshua Frank, 32. The pair are charged with three counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Gordon, Sandra and Monica Klaus, Jason’s parents and sister.
Lee Bagshaw, Deputy Chief for the Castor Fire Department, told court they received a call at 7:20 a.m. about a structure fire outside of town.
Upon arrival at the scene, Bagshaw says the house was already fully-engulfed in flames and was unsalvageable. Firefighters instead turned their efforts to protecting other nearby buildings, along with a propane tank next to the house.