More than 60 years ago, Major Singh Bhandal and Surinderjit Kaur Bhandal exchanged vows to spend their life together — a promise they kept, to their very devastating end.
“What happened Monday night was a complete tragedy,” said their grandson Lali Toor on Wednesday, outside the fire-ravaged north Edmonton apartment building where the Bhandals lived and also died.
“How they went out is not what they deserve.”
The elderly couple were residents of the building at the corner of 132 Avenue and 82 Street in the Killarney neighbourhood, where a car lost control and crashed into the building.
A gas mainline was hit during the collision, causing an explosion and fire that sent thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
Toor was driving on 66 Street when he saw the smoke several blocks away and felt compelled to go towards it.
“I had a gut feeling something bad happened and I had to go right to the scene,” Toor said.
“When I got here, my worst nightmares came true.”
Toor arrived to see some residents on their balconies, unable to get downstairs and out to safety as flames, fuelled by high-pressure natural gas, quickly spread.
“I saw an elder man, and it ended up being my grandfather. I didn’t realize at first.”
Fire crews respond to a fatal blaze at a mixed-use residential and commercial building at 13126 82 St. in northeast Edmonton on Monday, July 13, 2026.
Courtesy: Rob Yusep
Major, 85, jumped from his balcony to escape the flames. Toor said first responders tried to do CPR on his grandfather, but he was too severely injured by the fall and died on scene.
“It was just so devastating to see him afterwards — just identifying the body — and my grandmother never made it out.”
Surinderjit, 82, was also trapped inside the building and died. Her body was recovered on Tuesday.
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“I can’t imagine what they went through in their last moments of their life.”
On Wednesday, Edmonton police said an 82-year-old woman was confirmed dead from the fire, in addition to the 85-year-old man they confirmed on Tuesday was declared dead on scene. Police also confirmed they were spouses.
On Tuesday, before Surinderjit’s body was found, police said two people were unaccounted for, but the other missing person has since been located safe.
Toor said he wants people who know who they were — not just seniors killed in a fire, but people who lived a long, beautiful, rich life — together until the very end.
“My grandparents were very independent people. They lived by themselves here in Canada for over 30 years. I want people to remember them as very independent and very strong people.”
Toor said before his parents built a home, he spent his early childhood living down the hall from his grandparents in the apartment building.
A memorial that’s now formed outside the gutted building includes a photo of the two, which Toor said was taken at his own wedding last year.
Surinderjit Kaur Bhandal, 82, and her husband Major Singh Bhandal, 85, and the wedding of their grandson Lali Toor in 2025.
Supplied to Global News
Toor said his grandparents set a high bar for what a strong, happy marriage should be.
“They were good people. They were… When you think of a relationship and what you want in life, that’s what you want,” Toor said.
“They were best friends — one could not live without the other. They show what true love really is.”
Toor said his entire family, especially his mom, is devastated by this loss of their Surinderjit and Major — who he said were exceptional, active members of the Sikh Sri Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara on St. Albert Trail.
“I really hope our community can come together and truly celebrate these two individuals that were nothing but good people.”
The Sikh community excels at supporting one another during times of hardship, he said, and hopes his family’s loss will remind people how precious life is.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. It’s just very devastating to see. Go hug your loved ones because you don’t know — nothing’s promised,” Toor said.
Toor said as hard as the deaths of his beloved grandparents is, he recognizes the fire could have claimed even more lives.
“I want to thank the first responders — the police and the ambulances and the firefighters that were able to come here and try to get everybody safely out,” Toor said.
“I can’t thank them enough, because this could have been a lot worse.”
Fire crews respond to a fatal blaze at a mixed-use residential and commercial building at 13126 82 St. in northeast Edmonton on Monday, July 13, 2026.
Courtesy: Rob Yusep
The fatal fire is being treated as a mass casualty event, which the Edmonton Police Service said is being led by the homicide section as that team has the skills most needed in this situation.
There were believed to be at least 35 people living in the three-storey building, which had four commercial businesses on the main level and 16 residential suites on the two floors above.
The Red Cross is helping 21 displaced residents, police said, adding the remaining residents were reportedly not in the building at the time but have since been accounted.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
