Girl rescued from burning home in Brampton last week has died: OFM

A girl rescued from a burning home in Brampton last week has died in the hospital, Ontario's fire marshal said on Friday.

Jon Pegg provided an update on the fire that broke out at a residence near Jade Crescent and Jayfield Road on the evening of June 2.

"Tragically, we lost a mother and it pains me terribly to update that the child involved in this fire has also passed," Pegg said. A third victim remains in hospital in serious condition.

The mother and the child, believed to be three years old, were trapped inside the house and had to be rescued by Brampton fire crews.

They were transported to the hospital, where the mother died. The child was in critical condition.

The three victims were believed to be tenants of the home who lived in the basement.

"I stand here and offer my condolences to the friends and the family of everybody impacted by this fire," Brampton Fire Chief Bill Boyes said on Friday.

He noted that the past 16 months have been extremely difficult for his crew, losing 13 people in fires. Of those, seven were children.

"It's just it is very difficult for our crews and we sit at the kitchen table and talk with our firefighters and you can see the pain. They're brave. They're tough. They come in every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, each day of the year, but it does wear (on them).”

No working smoke alarms

Pegg said the investigation is ongoing with regards to the cause, origin and circumstance of the fire but confirmed on Friday that there were no working smoke alarms on the first storey and in the basement.

"We have seen this far too many times in recent days and weeks at fires in Waterloo and Brampton, among others," he said.

"The terrifying trend of no working smoke alarms continues in many of the fires that we're seeing across Ontario…is very concerning, as we know they save lives."

Pegg noted that smoke alarms were found on the second and third floors of the home, which have been sent for testing to confirm if they were operational at the time of the fire.

He went on to urge the public to install working smoke alarms in their homes to prevent another tragedy from occurring.

Pegg said Ontario recorded 133 fire deaths last year – a new 20-year record.

"I am concerned that members of our communities are not taking fire safety seriously. This has left individuals in serious condition in hospital, fighting for their lives. But what I'm also concerned about is the fact that our first responders on scene are often entering these homes, risking their lives to save others, when a functioning alarm and a properly planned escape would have given these individuals ample time to safely escape these fires," he said.

“As long as people are indifferent to fire safety and the importance of working smoke alarms, fatalities will continue."