Hundreds of mourners say goodbye to Brampton family of five killed in house fire

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There was sobbing, tears and hugs as hundreds of people attended a funeral service on Saturday for a Brampton family of five tragically killed in a house fire last week.

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Raven Alisha Ali-O’Dea, 29, her husband Nazir Ali, 28, and their children — 7-year-old Layla Rose Ali-O’Dea, 8-year-old Jayden Prince Ali-O’Dea, and 10- year-old Alia Marilyn Ali-O’Dea — were remembered as a young, devoted family.

“It’s a very sad time for the whole family,” Iqbal Bazir, Nazir Ali’s uncle, said Saturday. ”Ali was someone who you could always depend on whenever you needed something. He was there to help people.”

A morning prayer service was held at Jame Masjid in Mississauga before the burial at Brampton Memorial Gardens.

Members of the public, also emotionally over the devastating loss, attended to share their grief.

Dylan Victoratto, a friend of Nazir Ali’s sister, arrived with a bouquet of flowers.

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“It’s really heartbreaking what happened,” he said. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through.”

The remains of the family were placed in five concrete vaults and buried together as hundreds watched in stoic silence.

At the end of the service, dozens of balloons were released into the air above the burial plot and flowers placed on the ground.

“I am disheartened by the whole thing. Hurting for my whole family,” said Munawar Ali, uncle to Nazir Ali.

He added his distraught family is moved by the all the support, which included a ceremonial drive-past by Peel Regional Police cruisers.

“These people are friends and relatives. The whole family is thankful that people came here. Thank you so much for supporting them.” Ali said.

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“I’m really grateful and I’m really happy to see that so many people are here,” he said. “At such a young age I had touched all these people.”

The Ali-O’Dea’s Brampton home just had renovations completed two months ago.

Two tenants living in the family’s basement were able to escape Monday morning’s fire without injuries.

Raven Alisha Ali-O’Dea’s mother, Bonnie O’Dea, who lived with them, was transported to a trauma center in critical condition.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Office of the Fire Marshall, which has reminded people to ensure they have working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and a home escape plan.

A check by prevention officers of homes in the area last week found some did not have working smoke alarms.

Luis Felipa – Raven Alisha’s father – has been mostly sleepless since the horrific fire.

He also had trouble sleeping in the hours before the funeral.

“This nightmare,” he said, “will be with me for the rest of my life.”

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