A Toronto family of four is facing a long road to recovery after an apartment fire in St. James Town that left several family members injured.
The fire broke out around 3 a.m. on Aug. 4 inside an eighth-floor unit at 666 Ontario St., where Nahom Asrat lived with his pregnant wife, Ubah Adan, and their two children.
Asrat was sleeping on the balcony when he heard a crackling sound coming from the living room. He soon discovered the apartment was filling with smoke and flames.
He woke his family and helped them escape, but the couple quickly realized their 13-year-old daughter was still inside. As the fire spread through the apartment, Asrat went back in to find her.
He eventually located his daughter in the smoke-filled living room, where she had collapsed. He carried her out of the apartment and down the stairs to safety.
Asrat suffered extensive second-degree burns to his face, chest, neck, shoulder, back, head, arms and hands. He was hospitalized for four days in intensive care and placed in a medically induced coma while being treated for his injuries, including a collapsed lung and smoke inhalation.
His daughter also suffered burns to her forehead and ear but is recovering.
The family has since been staying in a North York hotel while they begin putting their lives back together. Their apartment was severely damaged, and virtually everything they owned was destroyed.
Despite the devastating loss, Adan said she is grateful that her family survived and remains hopeful they can eventually recover from the ordeal.
An investigation remains underway to establish the fire’s origin, cause and circumstances.