Halifax father still in coma after deadly fire

Ebraheim Barho has undergone a number of surgeries and is in intensive care.

HALIFAX— The father of seven children who were killed in a ferocious fire remains in a coma a month after flames engulfed their Halifax home.

Muslim community leaders said Friday Ebraheim Barho has undergone many surgeries and is in the intensive care unit of a Halifax hospital with his wife Kawthar at his side.

Sheikh Wael Haridy, of Nova Scotia’s Islamic Community Centre, said the grief-stricken mother is struggling with the loss of her kids, who were three months to mid-teens in age.

“The mother now realizes the reality, she realizes what’s real,” he said. “She’s alone now and her husband is still in a coma.”

Imam Abdallah Yousri, of the Ummah Mosque, said the community continues to wait and pray for his recovery.

“I cannot say when he will be awake … we are still waiting,” he said, adding that it’s been a very hard time for the community.

Although some relatives of the Syrian refugee family have arrived in Canada to offer support, efforts are still underway to bring more family members.

The Barho family came to Canada in September 2017. At first, they lived in rural Elmsdale, N.S., but they had moved to the Halifax neighbourhood of Spryfield to take advantage of immigrant services, including English-language training.

Early Feb. 19, their relatively new rental home caught fire. The flames spread so quickly only the parents escaped. The father was rushed to hospital suffering from extensive burns and was placed in a medicallyinduced coma.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. The home on Quartz Dr. was torn down earlier this month.

Halifax deputy fire Chief David Meldrum said he couldn’t comment on the investigation or the reason for any possible delay, but noted “in the course of fire investigations generally, interviewing witnesses who may have information is an obvious item of importance to us.” A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $700,000 for the family.