Three still missing from deadly Brampton house fire as excavation begins
Written by The Canadian Press on November 21, 2025
Excavators are pulling apart a burnt-out Brampton home so crews can search for signs of three people still reported missing and determine what may have started the deadly blaze.
The city’s fire chief says the partially collapsed house was too unsafe to enter and had to be excavated for crews to investigate.
Two adults died and four people were injured after they escaped from the second floor as flames engulfed the home early Thursday morning.
Police say one of the injured is in critical condition but the others, including a five-year-old, are in stable condition.
They say 11 people were living in the house, including nine family members and two people in a basement unit.
Mayor Patrick Brown alleged Thursday the home was owned by an “absentee landlord” who had a history of compliance issues with the basement unit.
Investigators have not speculated on the cause of the fire. But Brown said the blaze underlined why the city was clamping down on “illegal units.”
“When I hear that investigations were refused, the entry was refused, it gives me great concern that unfortunately this is going to end up being one of those circumstances that could’ve been avoided,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2025.
The Canadian Press