Syrian family who fled to Canada to escape war suffers loss of all 7 children in house fire

Seven Syrian children who fled to Canada in 2017 with their parents to escape the ongoing civil war that has devastated their country were killed in a house fire on Tuesday. 

All seven of Ebraheim and Kawthar Barhothe’s children, who ranged in ages from four months to 15 years old, died in what has been called the deadliest fire in Nova Scotia in recent memory, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

In a statement, Halifax Regional Police said the fire struck the home on early Tuesday

{mosads}Though police said local authorities and fire personnel responded promptly to multiples calls of a fire in the family’s residence on Tuesday morning, they reported they had already encountered “heavy fire” on the first and second floors of the house upon arrival.

“The fire was contained shortly thereafter,” the statement continued. “Our first responders collaborated to respond to the fire and we are deeply saddened by this loss.”

One of the family’s neighbors, Danielle Burt, told CBC that she heard a “huge bang” around the time the blaze started.

“I heard a huge bang … followed by a woman screaming, so I jumped up out of bed and looked out the back window, and all I could see was flames shooting out from the back door going out onto their deck,” Burt said. “It happened all so fast. The house went up really quickly.”

Ebraheim Barho, the father of the seven children, was reported to have fought for his life while trying to save his kids, according to The Associated Press. Kawthar Barho, the mother, was reportedly hospitalized shortly after the blaze but is expected to survive. 

The mosque where the children’s funeral will be held identified each of them in a Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon: Ahmed, 15; Rola, 12; Mohammed, 10; Ghala, 8; Hala, 4; Rana, 3; and Abdullah, 4 months old. 

Police said the fire remains under investigation.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared his condolences for the family in a tweet on Tuesday.

“Words fail when children are taken from us too soon, especially in circumstances like this,” Trudeau said in the tweet.

“My heart goes out to the survivors of the horrible fire in Halifax this morning, and the loved ones who are mourning this tremendous loss,” he added.

Words fail when children are taken from us too soon, especially in circumstances like this. My heart goes out to the survivors of the horrible fire in Halifax this morning, and the loved ones who are mourning this tremendous loss.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 19, 2019 

A  GoFundMe page created for the family has raised more than $445,000 to help them cover expenses in the past few days.