While many people are preparing for Christmas, a Barrackpore family has been left homeless for the holidays after a fire on Saturday.
For 33-year-old Alex Ali and his family, this is the second major tragedy they have faced in eight years. In 2016 his mother was murdered at their home at Papourie Road, Lower Barrackpore.
On Saturday, Ali was not at home. He learnt that shortly before 2 pm, his sister Allison, 31, her two-year-old son, and their 73-year-old Shaffiram Rambarran were inside when they were alerted that the house was on fire.
He said, “An ambulance and some people were in front. My aunt and my sister and my nephew were inside and the ambulance started to blow the horn. My aunt and my sister came out to see what was causing the scene, they showed them the smoke upstairs and they had to evacuate from there.”
In less than 20 minutes, their entire two-storey, three-bedroom home was destroyed, along with his tools, a truck and a van.
Estimating their losses to be over $1 million, Ali said they were now staying with relatives. He said their future is uncertain.
He said while they were practising Muslims, the family had been preparing to paint the house for Christmas.
He is baffled as to what caused the fire.
“But, the current (electricity) line is the main contributor to damaging the van. When the fire took place, the live current line fell on the van and burned it.”
In February 2016, his mother, Angelene Ali, 56, was killed during a robbery at her home. A man who lived in the community has since been charged with her murder. Anyone willing to assist the family can contact Ali at 334-1156.
