‘365 days of agony’: Father remembers Dania Zafar, Toronto woman killed in deadly Old Montreal fire

Zafar Mahmood from Lahore, Pakistan’s life was turned upside down a year ago, after his daughter Dania Zafar, a 31-year-old who was living in Toronto, was among the victims of the deadly blaze that broke out in an Old Montreal building on March 16, 2023. Seven people were killed.

“That is a whole 365 days of agony and pain,” he said. “It changed the meaning of life, the meaning of joy, the meaning of fulfillment, each and everything has changed.

He and his family have been left shaken with only memories to hang onto.

“Dania and me, we used to watch the Olympics, we used to watch cricket matches,” he said.

It’s been a year since Mahmood watched TV. “It’s totally off.”

Reading the newspaper was also another one of his favourite pastimes.

“Since I was 10 years old, I never missed a single day,” he said. “For the last 365 days, I haven’t read any newspaper, my whole life has changed.”

Dania worked in publishing in Toronto and was in the process of getting her Canadian citizenship.

She was in Montreal for a short visit with her longtime friend Saniya Khan – who also died that night – as both had rented an Airbnb in the building.

Mahmood is still grieving and still has so many questions left unanswered.

“Why has this happened? Why do I have to suffer? Because something wrong has happened somewhere,” he said.

Last August, Montreal police said the fire was deliberately set, as traces of accelerant were found on the scene, turning it into a criminal investigation. 

Mahmood says the process is taking too long. “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

Mahmood and the families of the six other victims are part of a joint $22 million lawsuit against the City of Montreal, the building’s owner and the man who had been operating short-term rentals there, which are illegal in the borough. 

He’s hoping for two things: “First is the compensation. The second, the courts, should suggest some measures so that thing doesn’t happen again.”

Mahmood now has all of dania’s belongings in his basement, to preserve her life and memory

“We miss her smiling face, we miss her companionship,” he said,

He now spends much of his weeks visiting Dania’s grave in Pakistan. 

“She loved flowers,” he said. “I have planted 30 or 40 flowers or used them so she’s still with us, even closer than my shadow.”