Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency (HRFE) says they are unable to determine what caused the fire that claimed the lives of seven children in Spryfield last February.
The fire on Quartz Drive killed Kawthar Barho’s seven children and left her husband Ebraheim in hospital with severe burns.
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At the West Street Fire Station where the long-awaited update took place, HRFE Chief Ken Stuebing said the department “investigated every avenue available,” but they were still unable to determine an exact cause.
“We believe the fire started in the back of the main floor living room area, near a couch,” Stuebing said. “We are also confident there was no electrical fault or defect, investigators determined the circuit breakers to the electric baseboard heaters were in the off position before the fire, meaning there was no power to the heating sources of the house.”
“However, despite our best efforts, we are unable to say what caused this tragic event.”
Any foul play in the fire was ruled out early on, but when the fire was extinguished, investigators said they lacked the physical evidence because of the shear size and heat of the blaze.
Stuebing notes that investigators consulted with the provincial fire marshal’s office and the investigator with the property owner’s insurance company, but everyone came to the same conclusions.
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Ebraheim and Kawthar Barho fled from war-torn Syria and arrived in Canada in 2017 as refugees with the hopes of creating a better and safer future.
They at first lived in rural Elmsdale, N.S., but the family later moved to Spryfield to take advantage of immigrant services, including English-language training.
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On Feb. 19, the home caught fire with the flames spreading so quickly that only the parents managed to escape.
All seven of their children, Ahmad, 15; Rola, 12; Mohamad, 9; Ola, 8; Hala, 3; Rana, 2 and four-month-old Abdullah, died in the home.
“This morning, the fire chief and I and chief covey and some of the fire investigation team did go to the hospital and speak to Mrs. Barho and let her know about these findings, and again to pass on to her our sincere condolences for the outcome of this fire,” said Stuebing.
Stuebing said the fire department will continue to investigate the cause of the fire if new information becomes available.
With files from Jesse Thomas.