Smoke killed Mountain fire victims: investigators
CPR on front lawn failed to save family
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MOTHER AND TWO of her adult children killed in a house fire early Thursday appear to have been overwhelmed by smoke as they tried to escape their east Mountain bungalow, say fire investigators.
One person was found behind the front door and another under the living room coffee table, said Richard Derstroff, investigator with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office. It’s unclear where the third was found.
Firefighters pulled all three family members from the smokefilled home at 36 Laird Dr. after a neighbour called 911 around 12:22 a.m. Thursday.
Firefighters and paramedics attempted CPR on the front lawn, but no one survived — one being pronounced dead at the scene and two others in hospital.
Derstroff said two smoke alarms in the home didn’t have batteries but were hard-wired. Tests on the upstairs device have shown it was working. The alarm in the basement was too badly damaged to test it accurately.
CityHousing Hamilton had inspected the home just two weeks before the fatal fire and found working smoke detectors.
Neighbours described the family — a mother and her daughter and son in their early 20s — who lived in the CityHousing Hamilton-owned home as nice and quiet. The daughter had health issues.
The man was identified as Sammy Khalil by friends online.
Bashir Ismail, chair of the Sudanese
League of Hamilton, identified the daughter as Sarah Khalil.
Deb Goodman said she met the family about a decade ago when she started tutoring Sarah in reading and other studies. She kept in touch with the family through coffee dates and helped them get to medical appointments.
Goodman said she also taught the mother cursive writing. She identified her as Halla Elamein.
“I just wanted people to know what a wonderful mother Halla was,” Goodman said. “She was the kindest, most compassionate person.”
Investigators know the fire started in the basement at the front of the house. Flames never reached the upstairs, but heavy smoke overwhelmed the tenants upstairs, Derstroff said.
For now, the fire marshal’s office isn’t ruling out any cause. Late Friday afternoon, investigators were testing an air conditioning unit to see if it was on during the fire, perhaps causing the smoke to circulate faster.
Evidence is being sent to the Centre of Forensic Sciences for analysis to help determine the cause.
Ismail said he met with family members to offer support Thursday night. It’s expected they will be buried in St. Catharines, where Elamein’s family lives.
“They’re devastated,” he said of the family. “It’s a terrible situation.”
Sterling Hauser, a friend of Sammy Khalil from their high school days, described him as “always happy.”
“He was great to be around, always joking and laughing and his face always lit up when he’d see his friends.”
The pair knew each other through mutual friends in high school. Khalil attended Highland Secondary School in Dundas, where the family previously lived.
They didn’t keep in touch much in recent years — he probably hadn’t seen him in two years — but added, “He was such a character, an unforgettable person.”
His favourite memories include skateboarding and going to parties together.
“Any time we’d see each other, he’d say ‘Bro!’ with a big smile, and I’ll always remember that,” Hauser said.
Elamein had another son who was not at the house at the time of the fire, as he lives in Toronto for school.
On Friday morning, Samson Khalil posted a message on Facebook thanking everyone for their love and support.
“I really do appreciate it and hope none of you ever have to deal with anything like this. Never miss a chance to tell people around you that you love them.”
Derstroff noted his office has been busy in Hamilton lately, attending fatal fires, including several ones with multiple casualties.
Last October, a fire at 191 Grenfell St. killed three people. In August, a mother and two children were killed in a house fire at 70 Niagara St.
“There’s been a bad run here lately.
“Hopefully, it’s bad luck (that will end).”
Derstroff said early fire detection is vital to survival. He recommended families talk about and practise escape plans.
On May 1, three-year-old Cayden Decker-Landry died after being pulled from the basement of a home at 240 Golden Orchard Dr. on the west Mountain. That investigation is being led by Hamilton homicide Det. Sgt. Peter Thom because of a protocol that mandates all deaths of children under five be investigated by police.
Thom said police are still waiting for the fire marshal’s report on that blaze.
Thursday’s fire is the second fatal fire in a City Housing building this year.
On Feb. 21, a 79-year-old Hamilton man died in a fire in his apartment at 191 Main St. W.
Derstroff said the investigation into that fire is complete. It was ruled accidental, caused by smoking while on oxygen.
“Unfortunately, this is a very common occurrence for us,” he said. “It’s so dangerous.” The oxygen causes a “flash fire” that is very hot and moves very fast, Derstroff said.
Never miss a chance to tell people around you that you love them. SAMSON KHALIL BROTHER OF SAMMY KHALIL