Truth is stranger

I was amused by this terribly non-PC joke which I received some time ago via email from a friend who shall remain nameless.

Fire Brigade

Did you hear about the fire in the five storey apartments in Toronto?

A Muslim family of six lived on the first floor.
They all perished in the fire.

A Pakistani family of eight lived on the second floor.
They also perished.

A Jamaican family (mother & five children) lived on the third floor.
They too perished.

A First Nations family of 8 lived on the fourth floor.
They too perished.

A white couple lived on the fifth floor
They survived.

The local Muslim, Pakistani, Jamaican and Native societies demanded to know why the whites survived when the others didn't.

The fire brigade said the answer was simple.
The white couple was at work when the fire broke out.

Today I saw this news of an awful tragedy, however, I wonder where the problem is that caused this outcome.