Tenant says residents beset with problems after Brampton fatal fire

Tenants have been beset with problems after a fatal fire in a Brampton apartment building in late February, according to one frustrated resident.

Barbara Hadath, who lives in the building near Kennedy and Tullamore roads, said she and her neighbours are still processing what happened on the morning of Feb. 20. She said the man who died as a result of the third floor fire on Family Day was her next door neighbour.

Brampton firefighters were called to the fire at about 8:20 a.m. Peel paramedics took the man with life-threatening injuries to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Other people were assessed at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Hadath said she heard banging and a fire alarm go off around 8:30 a.m.. She went into the hallway, smelled smoke, banged on the doors of three neighbours, went back inside to get her two dogs, then escaped outside. Firefighters arrived shortly after the alarm and began knocking on doors.

"That was really hard because they actually had to take him out the window. He was a nice guy," she said. "Everybody in the building knew him."

Since then, Hadath said she hasn't been able to live comfortably in her unit. 

The fire has led to insurance headaches and communication problems with the property manager, she said, while the smell of smoke continues to fill the hallway and the rooms in her unit.

"I've spent close to 40 hours just cleaning my apartment. Twenty-seven loads of laundry," she said.

Hadath said her bedroom floor flooded and other units also sustained water damage, making her worry about about possible mould in the walls.

Her unit's smoke detector, however, is now working, but she alleges it wasn't at the time.

Hadath said she lives with severe asthma and needs her bed, pillow and box spring replaced due to smoke damage. She is now sleeping on an air mattress because of the smell.

She said she would like to see her unit cleaned properly and the insurance claim with Belairdirect go through.

"They aren't getting back to me. It's horrible," she said.

Sterling Karamar, the property management company for the building, said it is working on repairs and the building remains in operation.