Fire officials are frustrated after learning a North York fire that claimed the life of a father and daughter on Sunday could have ended less tragically.
Investigators found a dead battery in the ground-floor smoke detector at the Jane and Lawrence-area home where the fire started. They don’t yet know whether a second alarm upstairs, where the bodies were found, was working.
"We do not believe that smoke alarm was sounding at the time of the fire. It would have made all the difference," said Chris Williams of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office.
They also traced the blaze to a pot of boiling oil which had been left unattended.
Ken Einboden, 44, managed to rescue his four-month-old daughter Kendra, but died when he went back in to save his 12-year-old daughter, Britney.
Britney was rushed to Sick Kids hospital in critical condition. She died on Monday afternoon.
"Ken – he was the best person around. He would do anything for everybody,” Einboden’s brother, Bill said at a visitation for the victims Friday.
“Jackie is the strongest person around. I'm going to miss my niece and everything,"
The funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
A trust fund has been set up to help Einboden’s widow and the mother of the two girls, Jackie McGregor-Einboden, who was not home when the fire broke out.
To donate, make a deposit at any RBC branch to account number 5052394, transit number 05812. Gifts of clothing, diapers and formula can be dropped off at 17 Kemp Square.