Unborn baby and toddler among victims in fatal house fire in Brampton, investigators say

A Brampton father is grieving and multiple victims are recovering in hospital following a fatal fire that claimed the lives of three adults, a two-year-old toddler and an unborn baby in Brampton last week.

In an update on Monday, Peel Regional Police said the bodies of two more victims were pulled from the home following the deadly blaze at a home on Banas Way in Brampton early on Thursday.

The two adults were found dead at the scene on Thursday, and police now say another adult and a two-year-old child are among the dead.

Around a dozen people were at the home when the fire broke out, but it is still unclear how many were residents. Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal says smoke detectors have been located inside the home, but investigators are still working to determine whether they were in working order.

Jugraj Singh, who was at work when the fire broke out, was initially counted among the three missing residents. Police said on Monday that he is in hospital supporting family members who are recovering from the blaze.

The Brampton father said his wife, his five-year-old son, his brother-in-law, and another member of the family “are fighting for their lives.”

He said his wife Arshveer was pregnant and suffered severe injuries when she leapt out of a window of the burning home on Thursday. Police say the baby didn’t survive.

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Police said the investigation into what started the fire could take several months, but so far there are no signs of foul play.

“This hits close to home for many people…generally speaking, we’re all just very, very, very sad for the family, and we’re doing our best to uncover answers in hopes that whatever we learn can prevent something like this from happening,” Peel police Acting Sgt. Tyler Bell-Morena said on Monday.

On Monday, Const. Tyler Bell said that investigators found the remains of a second person over the weekend, while the third person was in fact not home during the fire and was now safe at the hospital with his family.

The constable said the four people in hospital have stabilized, though some remain in critical condition. One of them, a five-year-old boy, is “doing quite well,” Bell said.

Bell did not provide details on the home’s occupancy, and said the main priority for investigators at the moment is managing victims and witnesses.

“I understand that there will be a lot of questions as it pertains to the occupancy of the residence, how that residence was divided,” said Bell. “That’s not something that any of us here are prepared to speak to, as it will come out in the ongoing investigation.”

Little of the structure remained Monday as crews used cranes and excavators to lift debris from the area. A parkette in front of the scene remained closed, with heavy machinery blocking parts of the street and police tape cordoning off nearby houses.

Neharika Sethbhalla, who lives in the neighbourhood, said she was “really upset” to learn about the fire and see the damage. While she hadn’t seen the fire as it happened overnight, she was woken up by the sound of sirens as emergency crews rushed to the scene.

“It’s really sad. Should not happen, really unfortunate,” she said.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said the landlord, who lives outside the country, had submitted a building permit application to create a second dwelling in the basement as far back as 2019.

When pressed on why the dispute carried on for six years, Brown and a city official said they did not have to right to enter the home without permission.

“This will be investigated, but when I hear as mayor that investigations were refused, that entry was refused, it gives me great concern that, unfortunately, this is going to end up being one of those circumstances that could have been avoided,” said Brown. “Our city has a heavy heart today.”

A city official said inspectors and the landlord were in the process of working on compliance before the fire occurred.

– With files from The Canadian Press