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Storm delays investigation into fatal Charlottetown fire

April, 1, 2014, Charlottetown – Three days of stormy weather have delayed the police investigation into the deaths of three teenaged boys whose bodies were found after a weekend fire at an abandoned building in Charlottetown.

Deputy Chief Gary McGuigan of the Charlottetown Police Service said Tuesday that with much of the Island shut down by blizzard-like conditions, investigators have made little progress.

"We're getting hit now with a storm over here," he said in an interview. "We've lost a couple days due to weather."

Police have said they do not suspect foul play in the case.

McGuigan also said the investigation will take time because the fire Saturday gutted the old building, leaving a great deal of debris to sift through.

"The integrity of the structure has been somewhat compromised by the fire," McGuigan said. "(Investigators) have to be careful where they can go and what they can do."

Police have spoken with some of the teens' friends, but McGuigan said it remains unclear what they were doing in the building or what caused the fire.

"They're starting to put things together, but we're not anywhere close to a factual timeline," he said.

Police have identified the three teenagers as 19-year-old Joseph Reeves, 16-year-old Brandon MacKinnon and 15-year-old Kenneth Irving.

The English Language School Board in P.E.I. said the two younger boys were students at Montague Regional High School and Montague Intermediate School.

Another youth who suffered injuries after the fire was airlifted to a Halifax hospital for treatment. He's a student at Montague Regional High School.

Police say the small, green building – once used as a used car dealership – had been vacant for years and its windows and doors were boarded up.