Toddler, 3 women confirmed dead in massive Brampton house fire

Peel Regional Police say the death toll from a deadly Brampton house fire has reached four people, including a toddler, and all others have been accounted for.

Initially, it was reported that two people died in the massive fire on Nov. 20, which tore through a multi-generational home with a basement unit on Banas Way near McLaughlin and Remembrance roads at around 2:30 a.m.

At the time, three other people were unaccounted for.

In an update on Monday, Sgt. Tyler Bell said of those unaccounted for, two people were located deceased.

The third person, a man who was away for work at the time of the fire, was located at the hospital by his family’s side.

Due to his attempt at returning, there was a delay in verifying his whereabouts, Bell said.

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Meanwhile, Bell said four other people remain in hospital including a five-year-old boy. Some are critical, but all remain in stable condition.

Bell also said one of the injured was a pregnant woman who underwent emergency surgery and delivered her baby. Her baby did not survive.

He confirmed there is no indication of “any type of criminality” for the fire at this point in the investigation, which is expected to take months to complete.

2:35 Brampton House fire leaves 2 dead, multiple injured and missing

Multiple 911 calls were placed about the massive blaze, including reports that some people had run to the roof to try to escape.

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Fire officials said when firefighters arrived, there was heavy fire through the roof and a structural collapse within the home, which prevented them from accessing the entire structure.

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Police said the fire was so serious that it had led to a “significant collapse” in the building, which was making it hard to determine if others were still trapped inside.

On Friday, large excavators and construction machinery could be seen at the property, as crews went through the slow and painstaking process of “pulling apart” the fire-ravaged house. Investigators had also found evidence of human remains in their search for those who were unaccounted for.

Officials previously said 11 people were believed to live in the unit.

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“I understand that there will be a lot of questions as it pertains to the occupancy of the residence, how that residence was divided,” Bell said on Monday. “That’s not something that any of us here are prepared to speak to, as it will come out in the ongoing investigation.”

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Mayor Patrick Brown said Thursday the owner of the property was an “absentee landlord,” who had applied — but not finished — converting their basement into a legally registered second unit.

The mayor said there were “a number” of times the city went to inspect the unit, resulting in an order being issued against the property, telling the landlord to make changes.

Brampton’s director of bylaw said his team were in “mid-stream” of enforcing orders and working with the landlord on their secondary unit when the fire occurred.

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In Monday’s update, Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg said there were smoke alarms present in the home, but investigators are still determining if they were functioning at the time of the fire.

Pegg said so far this year, there have been 92 fatal fires across Ontario, with 106 lives lost.

“Fire spreads fast,” Pegg said. “I implore with each of you to test your smoke alarms today and practice your home fire escape plan. You only have a precious 60 seconds to escape a fire, and that time should be spent following your escape plan, not preparing it.”

— With files from Global News’ Isaac Callan

2:28 Search continues for 2 missing inside home following massive fatal fire in Brampton