Canadian Family found dead in ‘Suspicious’ House Fire

Three members of a family were found dead inside their Brampton, Canada, home destroyed by a fire.

However, police say the blaze was suspicious.

Rajiv Warikoo, his wife Shilpa Kotha and their daughter Mahek Warikoo lived at the property, located in the Big Sky Way and Van Kirk Drive area.

Rajiv was a member of Toronto Police’s auxiliary programme, their volunteer officer programme. His last service was in 2016.

On March 7, 2024, a fire broke out at the house just before 1:30 pm.

By the time fire crews arrived, the home was engulfed in flames.

Several neighbours said they heard a loud explosion before the fire.

After the fire had been brought under control, investigators searched the property and discovered what they believed to be human remains.

Damage to the home was so severe they could not say at the time how many people may have been inside during the blaze.

Peel Police’s homicide unit is leading the investigation alongside the Ontario Fire Marshal and Office of the Chief Coroner.

Constable Taryn Young, of Peel Police, called the situation “suspicious” and said:

“Our investigators are now working around the clock as the Ontario Fire Marshal has deemed this incident to be not accidental.”

She added that there are still many unanswered questions about what happened, with investigators still trying to determine how the fire started and the causes of each family member.

One neighbour, Kenneth Yousaf said:

“When we came out, the house was on fire. So sad. Within a few hours, everything was down to the ground.”

Nicholas Qaqish was at home at the time of the blaze and said he heard a loud explosion from a house down the street.

He said he felt his window shake from the impact and that the heat touched his skin when he went outside to find the source of the sound.

Mr Qaqish said: “Everybody was freaking out, trying to figure out what was going on.”

Sree Nandyala, who has lived in the area for around three years, was shocked to hear about what happened.

She said: “To find out someone so young died … it’s terrifying to think about.

“We heard that they were really good people, we heard that they’re [a] really good family.

“It’s really sad to think about the fact that they’re all gone.”