Oshawa man who lost wife, daughters in house fire fought to save them, says brother

Josef Bresca was in hospital, recovering from severe burns from a devastating fire at his Oshawa home, when his brother had to break the news that his wife and youngest daughter had been killed. 

Vivi Villagran de Bresca and nine-year-old Ayelet, had been pronounced dead soon after being pulled from their still-burning house. 

When Daniel Bresca broke the news to his brother, he says it only partially sank in. 

"I was crying, and I was telling him. I saw tears in his eyes but he couldn't react," Daniel said in an interview with CBC Toronto on Tuesday. "The next day, he was more emotional, and he completely understood."

Five days later, Bresca's older child, 12-year-old Sigalit, was also pronounced dead after being treated at SickKids for her injuries. 

Daniel says his brother is now physically stable, in and out of lucidity, and has described to him what happened inside the house that night. 

He says Bresca was asleep on the house's main floor so as not to disturb the children when he left early that morning when, suddenly, he awoke to a house filled with smoke and flames. 

"He's got severe burns on his left arm, on his back, from trying to go upstairs and get his kids and his wife," said Daniel. 

Unable to get up the staircase, Bresca called for them and then ran to a neighbour's for help, Daniel said. He says his brother remained conscious until he saw his family's bodies being carried from the house by emergency responders. 

Ontario's Office of the Fire Marshal is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, and police have said it is not believed to be arson and that autopsies revealed no signs of foul play. 

'Everything he did was for the kids'

Daniel says the extended family is now focused on Bresca, and on mourning his sister-in-law and nieces. 

"All he did was for his family. Happily married… [and] they loved the kids. Everything he did was for the kids, all day," he said. 

Daniel says he chose to speak to the media as part of an effort to draw attention to crowd-funding campaigns to help his brother navigate the harrowing weeks and months to come. 

"He doesn't care about it, he couldn't care less. But I know that he's got a huge uphill [climb]. And if he has to worry less about money, then that will help him," he said. 

His goal now is to "wrap [Bresca] with love and care and support," and help him "find a reason to live." 

"It sounds like a cliche. If you have a why, you will find a how. I have to find him a why to go on," he said.