Propane suspected after man, woman die in shower shed

Princeton RCMP is investigating after a man and a woman died in an outdoor shower shed during a long-weekend gathering.

It happened on Monday around 9 p.m., at a property on 2nd Street in the community of Tulameen, about 26 kilometres northwest of Princeton.

Witnesses told police that a woman, 31, and a man, 37, had earlier gone into an outdoor shower shed together.

When the pair didn’t emerge for an hour, the door was forced open and the two people were found unresponsive inside.

The pair were pulled from the shed and first responders performed CPR but they didn’t survive.

“Despite the best efforts of all those involved, both victims were pronounced deceased at the scene,” RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said.

“RCMP do not believe that criminality was involved in the deaths of either individual.”

Investigators said the shower shed was equipped with an on-demand propane hot-water system, with first responders noting there was a strong smell of propane at the scene. The B.C. Coroners Service is investigating to determine the exact cause of the deaths.