2 found dead after Saint John tent fire are identified

Two people found dead after a tent fire in Saint John last month have been identified by police.

The Saint John Police Force issued a news release Friday naming Jonathan Calhoun, 35, and Raeanne Tyler, 33.

Police say what led to their deaths is still under investigation. The update Friday didn't say if their cause of death has been determined.

"The matter's still under investigation by the major crime unit," acting Staff Sgt. Matthew Weir told CBC News on Friday.  "There's no update in relation to that for the public at this time."

Police say the remains were found after the March 25 fire was put out. (Roger Cosman/CBC)

Police previously said the victims' remains were found after a fire, reported around 3:40 p.m. on March 25, at a tent encampment on Paradise Row in the city's north end.

Weir said how the fire started remains under investigation.

Police in the statement Friday offered condolences to the families of the two people.

The fire was among several in Saint John this year. Evan MacArthur, 44, died in January after the makeshift shelter where he was staying caught fire. Several people escaped their tent without injuries after it was deliberately set on fire in February.

There have been other deaths reported in the province in recent months.

Forty-one-year-old Adam Dickerson died in St. Stephen in December, while 29-year-old Sterling Hunter was found in a Fredericton landfill in March.

The Human Development Council, which tracks the number of people who are homelessness in the province's three major cities, has reported a 25 per cent increase in chronic homelessness in 2023.

Chronic homelessness is defined as 180 days or more in the past year without a permanent place to live.

The number of people chronically homeless in Moncton increased from 217 in January 2023 to 318 people in February of this year.

In Saint John, there were 146 in January last year. That rose to 163 this past February.

In Fredericton, there were 161 people chronically homeless in January last year. That rose to 228 in November before declining to 186 in February.