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CANADA: Experts say cause of Halifax fire that killed seven children can't be identified

The update was provided this afternoon by fire chief Ken Stuebing more than six months after the fire took place
spryfield fire-fatal-03
(Mark Hodgins/HalifaxToday.ca)

HALIFAX - Investigators with Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency (HRFE) say they haven't been able to identify the cause of a fire that killed seven children in Spryfied earlier this year.

The blaze tore through the Barho family home on Quartz Drive in the early morning hours of February 19.

"We investigated every piece of evidence available and tested every possible theory to learn what we could about this fire," said fire chief Ken Stuebing at a Wednesday afternoon news conference. "Despite our best efforts, we are unable to say what caused this tragic event."

"We can say that the fire originated at the back of the house in the main floor living room near a couch, however at this time, the cause will be classified as undetermined."

Stuebing said investigators were able to conclude it was not started by cooking or other kitchen activities, and there were no electrical defaults.

The baseboard heater, thermostat and associated wires were sent for testing and all those items were also ruled out as a cause.

"Investigators determined that the circuit breakers to the electric baseboard heaters were in the off position before the fire, meaning there was no power directed to the heating sources in the house," Stuebing explained.

Division chief of fire prevention Matt Covey added there's no evidence of another heating source in the home and officials can't say what the family would have been using to keep warm on that cold February night.

In addition, nothing at the scene led investigators to believe the fire was suspicious.

"Our investigators know what to look for for an accelerant or an intentionally lit fire," Covey explained. "In this case, because of the charring and burning patterns at the area of origin, we know that is started inside and there were no traces of accelerants, and the burning patterns didn't indicate that any kind of accelerant was used."

There's also no reason to believe the fire was caused by smoking materials, but that hasn't been ruled out.

Covey said there was a BBQ outside, but it was not connected to the propane tank beside it on the deck.

HRFE said they weren't able to find anything that would be a concern to public safety, including issues with the home's construction, faulty wiring or any manufacturing defects.

Officials said it took over 6 months to release their findings is because they were hoping to talk to Ebraheim Barho, who was seriously injured trying to save the lives of his children.

In July, his younger brother Ali told the Canadian Press Ebraheim's condition was slowly improving, but he remained heavily sedated and still didn't fully understand the extent of the tragedy.

Investigators still haven't had a chance to interview him, but they did speak with responding crews, neighbours, family members and other witnesses.

The status of the investigation is now closed, however the file will be reopened if new information becomes available.

Deputy fire chief Dave Meldrum said since January 2015, around 25 per cent of major fires in Halifax Regional Municipality have been classified as undetermined.

"The volume of fire and the extent of damage to evidence is a serious obstacle to fire investigators," Meldrum said. "In a fire of this magnitude, it's common for materials to be totally destroyed by fire or washed away by necessary firefighting activities."

Chief Stuebing said the Quartz Drive fire was one his members will never forget.

"I want to point out the incredible efforts of dozens of firefighters who responded to that call ... it was through their excellent training, skills and experience that they were able to prevent this fire from spreading to nearby homes," he said.

"This call was certainly a tragedy and our hearts and thoughts remain with the Barho family and our community."

- HalifaxToday.ca