Experts say the deaths of the seven Barho children in a ferocious Halifax house fire last week could lead to new fire safety measures and changes to the country?s building code.
The Barho tragedy could lead to an updated building code for Canada. Photo by Cullan Smith via Unsplash.
?I think we?re going to learn from this tragedy and you may actually end up seeing some changes coming in the codes as a result of this,? Phil Rizcallah, director for construction research and development with the National Research Council of Canada, said in an interview Monday.
The federal research organization plans to study the coroner?s report and the fire marshal?s report in detail, he said.
Fire officials are continuing to investigate the fast-moving blaze that left only a charred husk of the Barho home, located in a newly built residential housing enclave in Halifax. Many eyewitnesses described the fire as spreading very quickly through the home.
Halifax Fire Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum has declined to speak about the nature of the fire, but he told reporters last week that ?new homes are built with light-weight construction. Once fire barriers are penetrated, rapid fire spread is possible in new construction.?
Mike Holmes, one of Canada?s leading contractors and a well-known television host, said Monday new homes should be built with fire-resistant products to slow down the spread of a fire.
Holmes said older homes were built with hardwoods and older lumber with tighter grains that are more...