Advertisement

Syrian refugees who lost 7 children in Halifax house fire release statement

Click to play video: 'COVID-19 outbreak could lead to shortage of critical medicines'
COVID-19 outbreak could lead to shortage of critical medicines
WATCH: One year after a devastating house fire in Halifax killed the seven children of a Syrian refugee couple, a firefighter who was at the scene is talking about how the tragedy haunts him. – Feb 19, 2020

Ebraheim and Kawthar Barho have released a statement Tuesday to mark Wednesday’s first anniversary of the tragic fire that killed seven of their children.

The Barho children — Ahmad, 14; Rola, 12; Mohamad, 9; Ola, 8; Hala, 3; Rana, 2, and four-month-old Abdullah — all died when fire swept through their Spryfield house on Feb. 19, 2019, just after midnight.

Click to play video: 'Syrian community rally to support family killed in Halifax fire'
Syrian community rally to support family killed in Halifax fire

Only the parents managed to escape, but the father, Ebraheim, received serious burns and since then has undergone several surgeries.

Story continues below advertisement

The Hants East Assisting Refugees Team (HEART), which helped take the family in when they arrived in 2017 as refugees, released the statement on behalf of the parents.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“We would like to offer our deepest gratitude to the thousands of Nova Scotians who have shown us their love and support over this past year,” Ebraheim and Kawthar said in a written statement.

“Still we have found comfort in the kindness of strangers, in the courage of first responders, in the dedication of healthcare professionals, and in the sense of belonging offered to us by this community. We will keep each and every one of you in our hearts forever.”

Story continues below advertisement
Click to play video: 'Barho fire anniversary'
Barho fire anniversary

HEART said that it continues to mourn the loss of “seven beautiful Barho children.”

“Our lives have great joy and love, and our lives also have great tragedy and loss. In the past year, the only thing that rose to the same level as the tragic loss of the 7 seven children we loved, was the outpouring of compassion and support from communities, both near and far,” the team stated.

In September 2019, Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency (HRFE) said it was unable to determine what caused the fire on Quartz Drive.

At the West Street Fire Station where the update took place, HRFE Chief Ken Stuebing said the department “investigated every avenue available” but was still unable to determine an exact cause.

Story continues below advertisement

“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.”

Stuebing said the fire department will continue to investigate the cause of the fire if new information becomes available.

-With files from Graeme Benjamin, Rebecca Lau and The Canadian Press. 

Sponsored content

AdChoices