Two firefighters were taken to hospital and 25 people had to evacuate their homes following an intense fire at a townhouse complex at 1560 Bloor Street on Saturday, Oct. 7.

A Syrian refugee family that came to Canada searching for a better life has been forced from their Mississauga home just days before Thanksgiving after a devastating fire.

Khaled Alawad has started a Go Fund Me campaign and says his family – wife, Judy, and their three children Odai, 11, Marina, 9, and Mera, 4 – lost almost all their possessions in the blaze that started in their unit at 1560 Bloor Street around 2:15 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7.

“I lost myself, I don’t know where to start,” he said.

The intense three-alarm fire “completely gutted” the family’s home, according to Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services platoon chief Alan Hills, and firefighters arriving on the scene saw columns of flame reaching into the sky and fire shooting out of the unit like a “blowtorch.” The roof of the family’s townhouse collapsed from the blaze as did the roofs of some of the neighbouring units.

“It’s just so sad and tragic as the family has been through some pretty bad (experiences) already,” said Hills. “They’re starting all over again.”

Hills said there are three families who aren’t able to return to their homes due to the damage. Several of them have turned to the Canadian Red Cross for support and Region of Peel officials are also helping, he added.

An investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office and Mississauga fire prevention officer Capt. Gino Nucifora is complete and Hills said he anticipates the results being released in the coming days. He added that he hasn’t been informed of what caused the fire.

Meanwhile, Peel Regional Police say they have charged a 33-year-old man in connection with an incident involving residents of the unit where the fire started. Police say there was a dispute over property on Friday, Oct. 6 between a man and the townhouse’s residents and that damage was done to the family’s front door.

Police say the man has been charged with mischief over $5,000, assault with a weapon and uttering threats. They aren’t releasing his name at this time.

Alawad said a man came to the door and said the bike outside the house was his.

“He said bad words about Syrian refugees, and he lifted something – I think a gun or knife. We went into the house because I was scared,” Alawad said.

Alawad said the man tried to force his way into the home and broke the front door.

However, Peel police Const. Bancroft Wright said there’s no evidence connecting the incident on Friday night with the fire that broke out several hours later. Police are monitoring the situation and are waiting to hear from fire investigators about what started the blaze.

About a dozen units were damaged by the fire that took more than two hours to extinguish. At the height of the fire, there were 15 fire trucks and 65 firefighters on the scene.

Two firefighters were injured and had to be taken to hospital. One firefighter suffered a leg injury that required treatment while the other was suffering from heat exhaustion.

Alawad says the family has house insurance and that they have “lost everything” in the fire, including documents and identification. They are staying with friends and he said he’s thankful no one was hurt.

“You will find bad people and good people everywhere,” he said. “I thank God that my family is safe.”

As of Sunday, Oct. 8, the Go Fund Me campaign had raised more than $11,000 of its $20,000 goal. More information can be found by visiting www.gofundme.com/syrian-refugees-lose-home-in-a-fire.