CP24’s Courtney Heels reports from the scene of a deadly Brampton house fire, where crews continue to search for three people still unaccounted for.
Demolition is now underway a house in Brampton that was the scene of a deadly two-alarm fire early Thursday morning, as crews search for three unaccounted for occupants, one of which is believed to be a small child.
The blaze, which broke out at around 2:15 a.m. at a residence at 12 Banas Way, near McLaughlin and Remembrance roads, just south of Mayfield Road, killed two people and sent four others to the hospital with critical injuries, including a five-year-old boy.
Three of the injured persons, all of whom jumped from a second-floor window, are now in serious condition, while the fourth individual is in life-threatening condition, Peel Regional Police said on Friday afternoon.
Investigators said a total of 11 people lived in the home: nine members of a multi-generational family and two individuals in the basement apartment, who were not hurt.
Adjacent homes were also damaged during the fire. Officials say the occupants of those residences all got out safely.
Fatal fire in Brampton leaves two dead, police still searching for more individuals Fatal fire in Brampton leaves two dead, police still searching for more individuals
Speaking with the media late Friday morning, representatives from Peel Regional Police, Brampton Fire and Emergency Services, and The Office of the Fire Marshal provided an update on the investigation.
Deputy Fire Marshal Carrie Clark said they all remain on scene as crews work “slowly and methodically to bring the structure down in order to create a safe space for the investigators to work through the debris and look for all the key elements.”
Clark said the goal is to ensure they don’t disrupt anything that may be critical to the investigation, noting that a timeline of how long this may take is unclear at this point.
Deputy Fire Marshal Carrie Clark Deputy Fire Marshal Carrie Clark speaks during a Nov. 21 briefing at the scene of a fatal fire in Brampton.
She added that at this point, they don’t have an update on any persons or equipment found within the structure.
What is known for now, she said, is that between six and 16 people have been evacuated from their home as the demolition is underway and will be kept out until it is deemed safe to return.
Const. Tyler Bell said Peel police do not have any updates for now as to whether or not this fire was suspicious.
He said the condition of one the victims, a man, has now returned to critical, “which is not uncommon with fire related injuries.”
The three other individuals in hospital are stable, said Bell, but they are currently unable to speak with investigators.
One of those victims, a five-year-old child, is “doing well, he added.
Const. Tyler Bell, of Peel Regional Police Const. Tyler Bell, of Peel Regional Police, speaks during a Nov. 21 briefing at the scene of a fatal fire in Brampton.
Chief Andy Glynn, of Brampton Fire and Emergency Services, said with the tragic outcome of this incident, they’ll be reviewing all of the documents they have related to any other registered licenses for any other multi-unit residences in the municipality, and would “continue to work towards ensuring compliance.”
“Obviously it’s concerning for us. You know, this is a tragic fire, and it affects everybody, so we’re going to continue to do whatever we can to prevent this,” he said.
Chief Andy Glynn, of Brampton Fire and Emergency Services Chief Andy Glynn, of Brampton Fire and Emergency Services, speaks during a Nov. 21 briefing at the scene of a fatal fire in Brampton. ‘This whole community is devastated’
Neighbours, meanwhile, are reeling, many expressing shock, grief, and frustration about what happened.
“It’s so sad to know that there was a child involved. This whole community is devastated… Everybody in the community is really sad because this (happened) right in front of a school,” a woman named Rochelle, who lives in the area, told CP24’s Courtney Heels on Friday morning.
“It’s a problem in this community because there are too many homes here that have multiple renters, and the landlords just basically rent to everybody. There’s too many people living in one home. This is an ongoing problem, here in Brampton.”
She said bylaws need to be enforced to ensure tragedies like this don’t happen again.
“I hope this is a wake-up call for some landlords to maybe do things the right way and actually rent legally and responsibly and make sure that their places are up to fire code,” Rochelle said.
Another neighbour said he often saw two older women who lived at that address walking in the area and playing in the nearby park with three children.
‘Absentee landlord’
On Thursday, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown called the owner of the house an “absentee landlord,” saying they are currently out of the country for an extended period.
The mayor said the homeowner had submitted a building permit application to create a second unit in the basement in 2019.
That permit was issued, he said, however the homeowner failed to request an inspection for completed work.
“Given the absence of required inspection requests, so there was a number of times where the city went to inspect the location, it resulted in an order to comply being issued on the property,” he said, adding this property was not licensed for multiple tenants.
Brampton fire Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown speaks to media at the scene of a fatal residential overnight fire in Brampton, Ont., on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press)
Brown could not say if there were failings to the Ontario Building Code or Ontario Fire Code, adding that the municipality has been trying to gain compliance since 2019.
“This obviously is going to be investigated but obviously as mayor 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 have been avoided, and our city has a heavy heart today,” Brown said.
“I think this really speaks to the fact why it is so critical that if you’re having multiple renters that you adhere to building code and fire code, and I hope, I hope that we don’t have to hear about another tragedy like this.”
Investigation continues
Peel police remain at the scene of the fire to both support the ongoing Office of the Fire Marshal investigation and ensure the scene is secure.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
The investigation remains ongoing.
With files from CP24’s Courtney Heels, Codi Wilson, and Bryann Aguilar, and CTV News Toronto’s Janice Golding.