An 11-year-old Tamil girl orphaned after fatal Auckland house fire claims fourth victim

A father who critically injured in a fatal house fire that killed three members of his family has now died, in the Auckland suburb of Flat Bush. Kailesh Thanabalasingham, 47, had been in a coma for weeks at Middlemore Hospital following the blaze on December 22.

Thanabalasingham’s wife Bhamini Theiventhiran, 39, their five-year-old son Bareth Kaileshan and Bhamini’s mother, Umadhevi Theiventhiran, all died after becoming trapped when the family’s Flat Bush home went up in flames. His 11-year-old daughter and 69-year-old father-in-law escaped the fire. Three generations of the Sri Lankan Tamil family died in the house fire.

Dr Ann Hood, the chief executive officer of Refugees As Survivors New Zealand, said his life “encapsulates the spirit of what it means to be a refugee”.

“He arrived in New Zealand with nothing. Within just a few years he created a safe place for his family to grow up, built a very successful career and worked tirelessly to support his own community and new refugee families settling in New Zealand,” she said.

“He touched the lives of so many people with his warm and sunny nature and his compassion and determination to make a difference.

“New Zealand is a richer place as a result of his efforts to foster a humane and inclusive society where all people are respected and valued.”

A Givealittle page created to support Thanabalasingham following the tragedy has now raised more than $80,000.

Refugees As Survivors New Zealand outreach coordinator Diana Swarbrick, who set up the page, said all the money raised would go into a trust for Thanabalasingham’s 11-year-old daughter, Krishah.

She was being cared for by Thanabalasingham’s aunts.

Umadhevi Theiventhiran and her husband were visiting from Canada to see their daughter and her family when the fire broke out.

Neighbours described hearing screams and breaking glass as the fire consumed the Plantation Ave home.

The alarm was raised by Krishah, who fled onto the street crying that her family were still inside.

Thanabalasingham also escaped with his father-in-law Theiventhiran, and was seen sitting burned and bleeding on the street before being rushed to Middlemore.

Krishah was also hospitalised for a brief time.

The day after the fire family friend Sivaram Anandsivam said she was inconsolable following the loss of her mother, grandmother, and brother.

“She’s crying all the time,” he said.

Eleven-year-old Krishah, Thanabalasingham and Bhamini Theiventhiran’s daughter, survived the blaze, and spoke first in a series of poems she had written.

Her mother was the “best baker, best woman alive and best mother”. Bareth, she said, was a “jolly good brother” who she would swap for “no other.”

She praised her grandmother’s knowledge and wisdom, saying she was the best person you could know to teach you to sew.

“I’m grateful for the happy memories with them, and they will be with me forever,” she said.

Anandsivam said the grandfather was also in shock, but trying his best to support his devastated granddaughter.

“He came all the way from Canada, and he’s lost his wife, and daughter, and grandchild,” he said.

“He’s speechless, and trying to console his granddaughter, but she’s crying all the time, saying ‘I won’t be having my mother or brother any more in my life’, so it’s really upsetting.”

Bhamini Theiventhiran’s sister and Umadhevi Theiventhiran’s daughter Abina said losing them had “numbed her to her core.”

Her sister was the strongest and most gracious woman she had met, and her mother was her best friend and confidant, she said.

It was Umadhevi Theiventhiran’s birthday two days before the fire, and family in Canada had spoken to them just the day before the blaze.

Her brother, Ragu, said the three were so close that they did not want to miss each other, and now they wouldn’t.

Rosemarie Redondo, Bareth’s pre-school teacher, played a slideshow she had made, showing off a bubbly and talented little boy who loved to dance.

“There was never a dull moment with Bareth, just knowing he was coming to school was enough reason for teachers to come too,” she said.

Thanabalasingham’s death will be referred to the Coroner.

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