A small community east of Ottawa remained overcome with grief Friday as they cope with the loss of a three-year-old boy who died after running back into a burning home.

Damien Seguin's twin brother Miguel managed to escape, along with their father's girlfriend, Alexandra Goyer, who was babysitting when fire broke out Thursday morning at the boy's family home on County Road 15 in Fournier.

"Once the fire started, apparently (the woman) got out of the house," said Const. Pierre Dubois of the Hawkesbury OPP.

"And when she got out of the house, she had to open the door or something, and when she opened the door, she got out and one of the boys wasn't there anymore.

"She went back in to search for one of the boys and she wasn't able to find him."

Smoke inhalation is the official cause of death, according to the coroner. Damien was found in second-floor bedroom along with the family dog.

The girl has been released from hospital after suffering minor injuries.

Although police have not determined why Damien went back inside his burning home, neighbours have their own theories.

Melissa Chretien, who witnessed the fire, said the toddler might have run back into the burning home to rescue his dog.

"The dog died, but it was a great thing that the dog was in the house with the kid while the fire was there," said Chretien, who remembered the three-year-old fondly.

"Damien (was) a little ball of sunshine. He was always smiling."  

Now, the community is rallying around the boy's family to help them deal with the tragedy.

"It's pretty tough," said Sophie Leroux, who is Goyer's cousin.

Neighbours describe the boys as cute kids, with blond hair and blue eyes. Counseling is now being offered to anyone who needs it.

"Right now we're trying to assist them with all the services possible, with all the counseling and with all the support for them to get through this," said Dubois.

Firefighters, who were overcome with emotion on Thursday, spent most of the day at the home, where charred belongings now scatter the lawn.

"Some of them let go, most of them just needed to talk about it. It's over the next few days that we'll see how much they've been touched by it," said Chief Pascal Laviolette of the Nation Fire Department.

The Ontario Fire Marshal's office is continuing its investigation into the cause of the blaze.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Stefan Keyes and Maggie Padlewska