Family of Oshawa man who lost wife and daughters in house fights to give him 'reason to live'

Kate McGillivray · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 4:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Josef Bresca was successful hospital, recovering from terrible burns from a devastating occurrence astatine his Oshawa home, erstwhile his member had to interruption the quality that his woman and youngest daughter had been killed. 

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

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

"I was crying, and I was telling him. I saw tears successful his eyes but helium couldn't react," Daniel said successful an interrogation with CBC Toronto connected Tuesday. "The adjacent day, helium was much emotional, and helium wholly understood."

Five days later, Bresca's older child, 12-year-old Sigalit, was besides pronounced dormant aft being treated astatine Sickkids for her injuries. 

Daniel says his member is present physically stable, successful and retired of lucidity, and has described to him what happened wrong the location that night. 

He says Bresca was dormant connected the house's main level truthful arsenic not to disturb the children erstwhile helium near aboriginal that greeting when, suddenly, helium awoke to a location filled with fume and flames. 

"He's got terrible burns connected his near arm, connected his back, from trying to spell upstairs and get his kids and his wife," said Daniel Bresca. 

Unable to get up the staircase, Bresca called for them and past ran to a neighbour's for help, Daniel said. He says his member remained conscious until helium saw his family's bodies being carried from the location by exigency responders. 

Ontario's Office of the Fire Marshal is continuing to analyse the origin of the fire, and constabulary person said it is not believed to beryllium arson and that autopsies revealed nary signs of foul play. 

'Everything helium did was for the kids'

Daniel says the extended household is present focused connected Bresca, and connected mourning his sister-in-law and nieces. 

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

Daniel says helium chose to talk to the media arsenic portion of an effort to gully attraction to crowd-funding campaigns to assistance his member navigate the harrowing weeks and months to come. 

"He doesn't attraction astir it, helium couldn't attraction less. But I cognize that he's got a immense uphill [climb]. And if helium has to interest little astir money, past that volition assistance him," helium said. 

His extremity present is to "wrap [Bresca] with emotion and attraction and support," and assistance him "find a crushed to live." 

"It sounds similar a cliche. If you person a why, you volition find a how. I person to find him a wherefore to spell on," helium said.