It has been two months since a fatal fire claimed the lives of all seven children in the Barho family.
Now, an empty concrete lot is all that remains of the home on Quartz Drive in Spryfield, N.S.
A pile of stuffed animals on the front lawn and damaged siding to the homes on either side is the only sign that the family of Syrian refugees once lived there.
The family used to attend the nearby Al-Barakah Masjid Mosque in Fairview, N.S., and the imam there is in touch with the mother of the seven children on a daily basis.
“It’s a big tragedy but actually the way the community, in general, faced it and they try to participate in, they try to comfort the family, they try to help them, it was amazing. It was a very warm feeling,” Ibrahim Al-Shanti said.
READ MORE: More relatives of Barho family, who lost 7 children in Halifax house fire, to arrive in Canada
The Barho family fled to Canada from war-torn Syria.
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They arrived in 2017 with the hope of a better life and future.
“It’s important for us as Canadians, as human beings, to stand with one another when we are faced with this difficulty,” Al-Shanti said.
The father, Ebraheim Barho, has been in the hospital ever since he ran into the fire to try and rescue his children.
WATCH: Trudeau says the Barho family’s loss following a deadly Halifax house fire is ‘unimaginable’
Al-Shanti says the community is still hoping for his recovery.
“He’s improving — it’s not a big improvement but it’s coming. So, we hope soon in the future he will be OK and then I don’t know, it’s very difficult to start from scratch, as they say,” he said.
The investigation into what caused the fire is still ongoing.
There have been no updates from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency.
READ MORE: ‘Muslims Give Back’ campaign raising money to upgrade QEII family room in honour of Barho family
A joint statement released by Halifax MP Andy Fillmore and the Hants East Assisting Refugees Team (HEART) provided an update Thursday morning indicating that family members would be arriving in Canada later in the day and are government-assisted refugees who will remain in the country permanently.
Other family members have been brought in as visitors shortly after the incident on Feb. 19.
With files from Jesse Thomas
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