Fire marshal urges residents to check smoke alarms after fatal Brampton fire
Posted March 29, 2022 3:03 pm.
Last Updated March 29, 2022 4:43 pm.
The Ontario Fire Marshal is urging residents to ensure their smoke alarms are working after a family of five were killed in a fire in Brampton Monday morning.
Emergency crews responded to numerous calls around 2 a.m. for a fire at a residence on Conestoga Drive, in the area of Kennedy Road and Sandalwood Parkway.
The five victims, all from the same family, were identified as Nazir Ali, 28, Raven Alisha Ali-O’dea, 29, Alia Marylin Ali-O’dea, 10, Jayden Prince Ali-O’dea, 8, and Layla Rose Ali-O’dea, 7, by a family friend.
CityNews has confirmed that the children were Peel District School Board students.
One other woman, the grandmother of the family, was taken to hospital in critical condition where she remains. Two people living in the basement were able to make it out of the house unharmed.
In an update on Tuesday, Jon Pegg, the province’s fire marshal, said they have not determined if there were working smoke alarms in the home, but the grandfather who attended the scene Monday told them he felt they did not have working smoke alarms.
The cause of the fire and where it started are still under investigation.
The extent of the damage to the home is expected to be significant, but a monetary value has not been determined. It’s still to early to say whether the home will need to be demolished.
A fundraiser started to cover funeral costs for the family has already raised close to $10,000.
Nazir Ali’s sister, Bismah Ali, spoke at the press conference and said their family is devastated by the loss of her brother, his wife and their three kids.
“I hope next time in scenarios like this people are more careful of the surroundings of their home when it comes to fire alarms and smoke detectors and are more vigilant about it,” said Ali. “I miss my family.”
“We have to do better, having working smoke alarms is the law. It is what will literally save your life. We can’t see more people in the province of Ontario and the city of Brampton perish in a fire, it is completely unacceptable and it is completely preventable,” said Brampton Fire Chief Bill Boyes. “I’m heartbroken and our firefighters are heartbroken.”
“We do not want to see this happen again. It’s never too early and it’s never too late to start,” said Boyes.
“Smoke alarms save lives. Fire spreads so fast in our houses nowadays with the construction that we have and the smoke is so thick and black, if you do not have a working smoke alarm, unfortunately we are going to see more tragedies like the one over my shoulder,” said Pegg.
“We have more glues and resins in all of our furniture, pillows, blankets, all the different elements of our homes. That contributes to fires burning hotter and burning faster so more dangerous for our firefighters, more dangerous for our residents,” added Pegg. “We preach that you only have seconds, we mean you only have seconds to get out.”
“Stand up and check your smoke alarm, call your family and friends and make sure they are checking their smoke alarms.”
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With files from Michael Ranger
