Halifax Fire - 7 children killed

[james t kirk]

I've been reading about the tragic fire in Halifax in which 7 kids, aged a few months to 15 years were killed in a fire.

It just doesn't make sense and so many questions.

1. 7 kids die, yet both parents survive.

2. Mother is unscathed.

3. Looking at a baseboard heater in the family room somehow igniting a couch.

(No idea if it was electric heat in the house, or a portable baseboard heater you buy at Canadian Tire. )

4. House was only 2 years old so presumably built to code, and no smoke detectors?

5. Mother has already stated she wants to go back to the middle east to be with "family". Seriously??? Your kids die and first thing you want is on a plane to fly half way round the world.

6. Trudeau is even in on the action.

7. Mother has an infant. Most mothers I've ever seen are glued to their infants.

8. How does a presumably able bodied 15 year old not make it out? Most 15 year olds could hang drop out a window and walk away.

9. And lastly if it were my kids, I would die trying to get them out of that house.

Something just doesn't seem right.

 

[silk123]

James why so harsh, the family lost 7 children, give it a break, I would presume you do not have any kids with your lack of compassion.

 

[james t kirk]

I do have kids and that's why I don't understand. See point 9 above.

It's not a lack of compassion, it's not understanding how 7 kids die at the same time and miraculously, both parents survive.

From what I read, the wife discovers the fire and she survives unscathed. That implies she immediately ran out the door.

If I discover the couch on fire, I immediately yell and scream to rouse everyone in the house and get them out. (I also have fire extinguishers on every floor of my house, but most people don't I realize.)

I don't know about the Nova Scotia building code, the the OBC requires hard wired smoke detectors on every floor with battery back ups and interlocked together so one goes off, they all go off.

Where were the smoke detectors? This was a new house.

I have faith in the investigation teams that they will piece this one together.

It could be an incredible tragedy I admit. Just it doesn't make sense to me at the current time.

 

[icespot]

You can be sure in cases like this the police treat them like suspects. The night of the fire the family was questioned and a statement was obtained. Now there will be a follow up investigation where they again will be brought for questioning. That second interview has to be an identical match to the first one. If not there will be a world of resources thrown at it.

WTF is it with always bringing the PM into this.....I strongly suggest taking a few courses or reading a few books about the Canadian regime.

People would be surprised to learn the power citizens have.

 

[silk123]

I do have kids and that's why I don't understand. See point 9 above.

It's not a lack of compassion, it's not understanding how 7 kids die at the same time and miraculously, both parents survive.

From what I read, the wife discovers the fire and she survives unscathed. That implies she immediately ran out the door.

If I discover the couch on fire, I immediately yell and scream to rouse everyone in the house and get them out. (I also have fire extinguishers on every floor of my house, but most people don't I realize.)

I don't know about the Nova Scotia building code, the the OBC requires hard wired smoke detectors on every floor with battery back ups and interlocked together so one goes off, they all go off.

Where were the smoke detectors? This was a new house.

I have faith in the investigation teams that they will piece this one together.

It could be an incredible tragedy I admit. Just it doesn't make sense to me at the current time.

Yeah, you never know what people will do, look at the Guyanese guy who killed his own daughter last week.

 

[Darts]

I started a thread on this back on February 19, 2019. Didn't want to say much until all the facts are known.

One person said he/she heard an "explosion" but the house is heated with electric (not gas) heaters. Yes, lots of questions.

 

[Stoo]

Something just doesn't seem right.

That was my first thought too. The one thing that lends credibility is the fact that the Dad was apparently seriously burned. I'm not surprised at the Mother's comment about leaving. If this is all legit, she's undoubtedly in shock, so anything she says needs to be looked at through that filter.

Either way, it's a horrible situation. I heard a fire guy being interviewed after the fact and he pointed out that new homes are basically a block of highly-flammable hydrocarbons. Carpets, synthetic wood cupboards and furniture, fabrics, drapes, vinyl blinds... they all burst into flame at relatively low ignition points and then burn like crazy. I live in a century-old farmhouse and am really aware of the fire risk, but after listening to that fire Chief, I now think my house is safer than a new one.

No doubt this will renew the call for sprinkler systems in new builds.

 

[Jasmine Raine]

Something seems off to me too njust don't know what yet until the investigation is complete.

 

[malata]

faulty thermostat with an oil furnace. Not a good combination

 

[hamermill]

I've been reading about the tragic fire in Halifax in which 7 kids, aged a few months to 15 years were killed in a fire.

It just doesn't make sense and so many questions.

1. 7 kids die, yet both parents survive.

2. Mother is unscathed.

3. Looking at a baseboard heater in the family room somehow igniting a couch.

(No idea if it was electric heat in the house, or a portable baseboard heater you buy at Canadian Tire. )

4. House was only 2 years old so presumably built to code, and no smoke detectors?

5. Mother has already stated she wants to go back to the middle east to be with "family". Seriously??? Your kids die and first thing you want is on a plane to fly half way round the world.

6. Trudeau is even in on the action.

7. Mother has an infant. Most mothers I've ever seen are glued to their infants.

8. How does a presumably able bodied 15 year old not make it out? Most 15 year olds could hang drop out a window and walk away.

9. And lastly if it were my kids, I would die trying to get them out of that house.

Something just doesn't seem right.

Re: point #9 - there would be no reason to live

 

[saxon]

Liberals are fast tracking 10 family members who are still in Syria so they can immediately come to Canada. So much for filling out your paperwork and patiently waiting for your turn.

 

[OnTheWayOut]

I had same reaction when I heard of this ..... how is it not one of the 7 kids get out? The more we learn about this, the more confusing it is. I hesitate to jump all over anyone as I know the pain of losing a child. Will be watching for more detail as time passes. For now all anyone can do is grieve.

 

[K Douglas]

Obviously we don't know what happened yet other than the parents survived and the kids perished. Last I heard the husband was in critical but stable condition so I assume he attempted to save his children. As for the mother I would have thought that her maternal instinct would have been to at least retrieve the 4 month old infant. Perhaps she was in shock and couldn't move? The main questions I have at this point are

1. Were there working smoke detectors?
2. Where was the husband sleeping?
3. Did something(s) accelerate the fire? Foam mattresses, aerosol cans etc.

Very tragic nonetheless. I don't know if I could go on with life if I lost all 7 of my kids.

 

[Scarey]

I believe the Syrian community specifically requested all family members(10 in total) get fast tracked to come to Canada. If it comes out that this was foul play the conservatives will spoon feed the liberals this until the election. The investigation will play out, but I to have questions about this incident.

 

[poorboy]

I believe the Syrian community specifically requested all family members(10 in total) get fast tracked to come to Canada. If it comes out that this was foul play the conservatives will spoon feed the liberals this until the election. The investigation will play out, but I to have questions about this incident.

I highly doubt it was foul play. Sacrificing 7 of your own children to bring over extended family? Risking second and third degree burns to yourself? How much do you like your inlaws?

Although rare, events like this happen from time to time.

A house a couple of blocks away blew up a few years ago near me. The owners were away on vacation for several weeks. Arson investigations aren't very well done by fire departments, but they guessed their was a tiny gas leak that was not noticeable day to day, but the gas accumulated over several weeks and then one day the entire place blew up when the furnace came on.

 

[Darts]

but they guessed their was a tiny gas leak that was not noticeable day to day,

No gas service to the house and smoke detectors everywhere.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova...urned-had-hardwired-smoke-detectors-1.5027107

 

[poorboy]

No gas service to the house and smoke detectors everywhere.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova...urned-had-hardwired-smoke-detectors-1.5027107

Looks like it may have been a faulty base board heater.

https://www.thestar.com/halifax/201...ax-house-fire-that-killed-seven-children.html

Given the extent of damage, I don't know if they'll be able to determine the cause with 100% certainty.

Definitely looking like the cause is not suspicious though. More likely a combination of a poor build quality house with lots of volatile synthetic materials.

 

[Darts]

More likely a combination of a poor build quality house with lots of volatile synthetic materials.

With so many hard wired smoke detectors around, there should have been enough early warning for some of the kids to get out. Odd that the only survivors are the two adults, although the father is in hospital.

"A neighbour who witnessed the fire reported hearing a bang. Still like to know what made the "bang".

There appears to be other houses of similar age and build in the same area, maybe they should check them out.

 

[WarGames]

This sad story does sound very sketchy.

 

[poorboy]

People here who think the story sounds sketchy or are skeptical need an education in fire safety.

First of all, smoke detectors detect smoke, not fire.

Secondly, a large number of houses are equipped with the wrong type of smoke detector. Ionization detectors are good for smoke from fast flaming fires. This detector is not very effective, but is cheap and is what most houses are equipped with. I'd hazard a guess that 9 out of 10 people here have an ionization smoke detector. They are so ineffective that they are banned in several European countries and at least 3 states. Photoelectric is for smouldering fires and are better for early detection, but is more expensive.

The house was 7 years old, which would be considered fairly modern. The problem with modern households is the number of synthetic materials used to build the house. Volatile organic compounds are extremely dangerous, and build up quickly in newer houses because most houses these days are fairly air tight to aid in reducing heat loss. Newer houses burn hotter and faster because more are an open concept design. House was probably also filled with cheap synthetic furniture.

Once a fire starts in a modern home, the rate at which it spreads is incredibly fast. 3 to 5 minutes is the estimate now vs. 15 to 17 minutes for a 30 year old house.

https://www.today.com/home/newer-homes-furniture-burn-faster-giving-you-less-time-escape-t65826

The "explosion" was probably a backflash or backdraft, which is a hopeless situation.

All those armchair heroes who say that they would have gotten their kids out would have more likely dropped dead from suffocation. Go find a firefighter and talk to him and he'll tell you how dangerous running into a burning house is without any equipment. He'll also tell you that the fire moves faster than you can run.

A father is in the hospital with life threatening injuries that are so serious, he couldn't attend the funeral. His seven children are dead and his wife is an emotional wreck, yet some people here think there's some immigration conspiracy angle to it, despite the fact the a house fire is the number 1 disaster a family will face in North America.