'They lived a good life': Family of 5 killed in Brampton, Ont., fire remembered
CBC
Two weeks ago, Luis Felipa praised his daughter for turning her life around.
Raven Alisha Ali-O'Dea had been a rebellious teenager, he explained, but had transformed into a grown, responsible woman.
"(I said,) 'Raven, you know, I'm so proud of you, the way you changed your life around.'
"Her cheeks were both pink. She says, 'Dad, you're making me blush,' because normally I don't just give compliments like that.
"I'm so glad that I told her," Felipa recalled, his voice shaking.
Those were his last words to her.
Ali-O'Dea, 29, her husband Nazir Ali, 28, and their children — seven-year-old Layla Rose Ali-O'Dea, eight-year-old Jayden Prince Ali-O'Dea, and 10-year-old Alia Marilyn Ali-O'Dea — died early Monday morning after a fire tore through their Brampton, Ont., home.
Felipa's ex-wife and Raven Alisha Ali-O'Dea's mother, Bonnie O'Dea, who lived with the family, was transported to a trauma centre in critical condition. Two tenants living in the basement of the home were able to evacuate without any injuries.
Felipa has barely been able to sleep since as he's tried to understand what went wrong.
"They lived six years in there with no problems," he said.
Felipa said his daughter and son-in-law purchased the home last year from the landlord they were renting from at a steal because the landlord cared about his daughter. He said his father then gave her some money to renovate.
Ali-O'Dea and Ali decided to renovate the entire home, hiring a team to replace the floors, stove, lights and paint. The renovations wrapped up two months ago.
The cause, origin and circumstances of the fire are under investigation.
Felipa said he's been wondering if the renovations had anything to do with the fire — were the smoke alarms put back in after the painters took them out? But he said he's done speculating because it's "killing" him.
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