Woman dies, 2 children in critical condition after London, Ont., townhouse fire

London police say a 43-year-old woman injured in a townhouse fire over the weekend has died.

The two children, a seven-year-old girl and five-year-old boy, both remain in hospital in critical condition, police said in an update on Tuesday.

Police say investigators with the London Police Service are working with the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Office of the Chief Coroner to determine the “cause and manner” of the woman’s death.

Police have not release the woman’s name, but London Muslim Mosque outreach coordinator Ali Chahbar says he’s remembering Faten Al Haddad as a “lovely, lovely soul.”

“She always had a beaming smile,” he said, “I’ll never forget that.”

Chahbar says he hadn’t seen her in quite some time, but she used to volunteer heavily with the mosque, especially with its library.

She sticks out in his memory as someone who was not only eager to offer help, but to share ideas as well.

“I received messages from those who she volunteered with saying ‘it’s sad’ and ‘she helped us out.’ It’s a great loss when you lose anyone, especially someone as radiant as her.”

He says the community is there for the family.

Emergency crews were called to a fire at a residence in the area of Purser Street and Benjamin Drive, northeast of Highbury Avenue North and Kilally Road, just after 11 a.m. Saturday.

At that time, Platoon Chief Colin Shewell told Global News that firefighters pulled three people from the home, “did lifesaving support after the quick rescue,” and worked with paramedics to transport them to hospital.

He said the fire was “a tragic event that happened to a family in London” and described the damage as “very extensive.”

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— with files from Global News’ Kelly Wang and Sawyer Bogdan.