Five people, including a family of four with two school-aged children, were found dead Sunday in a home in Porter Creek.

At about 10:30 a.m., Whitehorse RCMP were called to the house at 1606 Centennial St. after a friend of the family discovered the bodies inside.

Whitehorse Fire Department personnel entered the residence using breathing apparati.

Once they declared the house was safe, police officers entered and found the five bodies, the RCMP said this morning.

The fifth person has been identified as an adult male boarder.

As of this afternoon, neither the police nor the Yukon Coroner Service was releasing the names or ages of the deceased.

RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Don Rogers said foul play is not suspected.

Rogers said one of the children was in elementary school while the second was in junior high. He would not say which schools the children attended.

A memorial was held this afternoon at Holy Family Elementary School.

Department of Education spokesperson Michele Royle said early this afternoon each of the territory's schools has its own counsellors to help grieving students.

The department's crisis response team is also on standby if the schools require more help.

Those support mechanisms will be available for grieving students and staff at any of the city's schools.

"We recognize that grieving can be a long process, and we want to be available for anyone who needs it,” she said.

Outside the detached two-storey home this morning, flowers had been placed at the end of the driveway.

Fire officials and the RCMP continued to go in and out of the A-frame home —some still wearing masks.

The windows on the upper floor had been smashed open.

Police are investigating a number of possible causes of death, Rogers said.

Though firefighters were examining the home's chimney this morning, Rogers would not say whether an air quality issue, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, was to blame.

"We are not willing to speculate as to what might have happened at this point,” he said. "The investigation is continuing.”

Meanwhile, officers are working on establishing a timeline to determine exactly when the deaths took place.

Neighbours and business representatives informally canvassed by the Star this morning said they knew little about the home's occupants.

The five people are believed to have died sometime between last Wednesday and Sunday, Rogers said.

Mayor Bev Buckway expressed her condolences today, calling the situation "a great tragedy.”

– With files from Max Leighton.