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.
"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.
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 building codes are a minimum standard, and that homeowners could demand higher standards, including fire-resistant products, from builders.
Rizcallah said the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes examined residential sprinklers about a year ago.