WARMINGTON: Victims of fatal fire mourned, lauded as loving family

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BRAMPTON — Bismah Ali tried not to cry as she talked about the death of her brother, sister-in-law, nieces, and nephew.

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She did not succeed.

“They were such a nice family,” she said, fighting tears in front of the burned-out Conestoga Dr. home where the family perished just 36 hours earlier.

The deceased are: Alia Mirilyn Ali O’Dea, 10; Jayden Prince Ali O’Dea, 8; Layla Rose Ali O’Dea, 6; and parents, Raven Dawn Ali O’Dea, 30; and Nazir Ali, 29.

Nazir was her brother.

“Nazir and Raven were two of the most amazing young people, who dedicated their lives to their children,” Bismah said in a social media tribute. “They were loving, selfless, and empathetic. Nazir was a loving son and caring brother to his five siblings de ella and Raven was a loving daughter caring sister to her four siblings de ella. Their absence will forever be felt in our lives.”

The community is reeling after Monday morning’s fire that has both Brampton Fire and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office (OFM) working around the clock to determine the cause of the blaze.

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As they work, two families have to prepare for five funerals.

Bismah has set up a GoFundMe page to seek donations for “funeral arrangements and any memorial costs.” About $20,000 had been raised as of Tuesday evening.

“Hold the ones you love close to you, be grateful for waking up. You are not promised tomorrow,” said Bismah on GoFundMe, adding “as we all make an effort to comprehend what happened, we ask for some time for us to mourn the loss of these beautiful souls. We will share more information on the funeral services for friends and family to pay their respects in the next few days.”

While the family prepares for this horrific reality, Brampton Fire Chief Bill Boyes and OFM senior investigator Jon Pegg were heavily promoting fire prevention measures.

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While it’s still too early to determine for sure that there were no working smoke detectors in the two-story home, fire officials have received reports from at least one relative that the alarms had been removed during renovations and were not operational.

Pegg and Boyes urged everyone to check to ensure they have working smoke alarms in their homes.

“It just takes a second,” added Boyes. “When I got home with my son, I checked in my house.”

Pegg added even if smoke detectors are not installed in a dwelling, they will still work as long as the devices have working batteries in them.

Boyes expressed surprise that during a fire prevention canvas in the area, Brampton firefighters found many homes without working alarms.

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This is something Luis Felipa — who lost his daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren in the fire — is also pushing. His ex-wife, Bonnie O’Dea, who’s in critical condition with severe burns, and two tenants escaped the blaze.

“This can’t happen to another family,” Felipa said. “People need to make sure their alarms are working.”

Like Bismah, he was having a difficult time holding it together as the dark reality sank in.

“I just don’t know what I am going to do,” said Luis. “My whole family is gone.”

All any of us can do is try to pay respects to this fine family.

“Our homes are broken as we mourn a loss that we can never replace,” said Bismah. “As a family, we are devastated to lose two generations in a blink of an eye.”

Bismah, Luis — as well as Boyes and Pegg — say don’t let it happen to you.