Raven Ali-O’Dea, 29, her husband Nazir Ali, 28, and their children, seven-year-old Layla, eight-year-old Jayden and 10-year-old Alia, died Monday morning after a fire broke out in their home. at Conestoga Drive, just before 2 p.m.
Firefighters said the fire was so extreme that firefighters were forced to retreat before attempting to rescue those inside.
They pulled four people but all succumbed to their injuries in hospital. A fifth person was found dead inside.
The grandmother from the mother of the children, who lived with the family, suffered severe burns and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Two occupants who lived in the basement of the house managed to escape without being injured.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, however the children’s grandfather told CTV News Toronto on Monday that he believes the house did not have functional smoke detectors.
Ontario Fire Chief John Peg urged the public to ensure they have active fire alarms to prevent more tragedies like this from happening again.
“The fire is spreading so fast in our homes today with the constructions we have and the plastics inside, so the smoke is so dense and black (as a result),” he told reporters at the scene on Tuesday. If you do not have a smoke alarm that works, unfortunately we will see more tragedies like over my shoulder. We need to get serious. “We have to be serious about smoke alarms.”
A private funeral will be held at the Jame Masjid in Mississauga. Burial will be at Brampton Funeral Home & Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. and will be open to the public.
