The sister of fatal fire victim Maxwell Brangman last night said she believes a third party was involved in the suspicious deaths of her brother and his friend Freddie Gilbert.

Mr. Gilbert's dead body was pulled out of the water a little over 24 hours after Mr. Brangman's badly burnt remains were found in a nearby concrete hut in Burcher's Point, behind the Black Horse Tavern, St. David's.

Police have refused to reveal details about the condition of 53-year-old Mr. Gilbert's body, which was found floating in Great Bay at 8.20 a.m. yesterday, while they say they have no evidence to connect the deaths.

Last night, Mr. Brangman's sister Lana Flood said the news of the second death meant she was no longer sure the blaze in the early hours of Sunday was accidental.

She said she was at a loss to explain how the drinking partners had been killed — and as both were passive characters she believes somebody else was likely to be involved.

"I don't understand it. Not one of them bothered anybody. I would love to have been down there to see what happened. It just doesn't make any sense to me," Mrs. Flood told The Royal Gazette.

"It's got to be a third party. Now, after that, it's got to be a third party. If the deaths are related, there's got to be someone else there. They would not do that to each other. They were not that type of violent individual.

"It could have been an accident. I want to say that's possible, but is it probable? Is there more here?

"It's just so odd to me. How is it happening that there's another body? Who was doing this to whom, where and when? They would drink, yes; fight, if you pushed them too bad. But this is too much.

"They didn't go around stealing and taking. I don't know if someone else was there — a different type of individual."

Mr. Brangman's family had initially indicated he was a smoker who read by candlelight, suggesting the fire started accidentally.

Both victims were odd job men in the usually quiet St. David's area and are said to have used the concrete shed as a makeshift home. Police say they don't know of anyone else who lived there.

Mr. Gilbert is described as a reserved character, with Mrs. Flood saying: "I never heard him say a cross word. He always showed respect to me. He was a loner. He didn't go around with a lot of people. You would see him on his bike or walking.

"A couple of weeks ago, he was getting ready to paint someone's house. I saw him up the ladder and called out to him."

At a press conference yesterday, Police refused to confirm or deny whether Mr. Gilbert suffered stab wounds. They said a number of rumours had been circulating, including an unsubstantiated one that the hut had been used for storage by local gangs.

Officers, including the Police diving team, have been searching the area for clues.

Chief Inspector Antoine Daniels told the media: "Police have commenced investigations and foul play has not been ruled out in either death."

Regarding circulating rumours, he said: "This speculation is creating much distress and Police are requesting that if anyone has any information they should contact the Serious Crime Unit of the confidential CrimeStoppers hotline."

Superintendent Randy Liverpool said: "I do want to reassure the public, especially the residents of St. David's that we are going to be inquiring into these matters relentlessly.

"I'm very thankful to members of the community. They have provided lots of information so far.

"It may be natural for residents to have some concerns because it's two deaths in 24 hours and we cannot rule out foul play at this time."

Television weather presenter and former St. David's MP Suzann Roberts-Holshouser yesterday paid tribute to 57-year-old Mr. Brangman, for whom said she used to leave a flask of tea on winter mornings.

"He was a friend of the community and would give you the shirt off his back, he was willing to do anything that was needed. If you wanted your lawn mowed or anything painted, he would do it," she said.

"He was a hard worker and a real sweetheart. He was just free to come and go and was a very happy man living a contented life. He had a big heart and will be sadly missed.

"I would certainly hope his death was not the result of anything malicious but was an accident.

"The deaths of both these men is a tragedy for the people of St. David's and their families."

Another local woman, who asked not to be named, said: "Both men are fairly well-known and most people are shocked that something like this has happened in St. David's, as it is usually so quiet around here.

"There are lots of rumours flying around right now but we will just have to wait for the Police investigation." "He was a nice guy and lived a similar type of life to Maxie. Sometimes he slept rough," she said. "Both of them didn't bother anybody."

Anyone with information should call Police on 299-4315 or CrimeStoppers on 1-800-623-8477.