A man has died after firefighters pulled him from the basement of a burning Guelph townhome on Wednesday morning.
It is the first fire fatality in the city this year.
First responders were called to Sunset Road, near Willow Road and Applewood Crescent, just before 7 a.m.
Guelph Police said four people were inside the home when the flames broke out.
Two residents on the second floor managed to escape. Both were treated by paramedics for minor smoke inhalation.
“The two upstairs were alerted to the smoke,” explained Scott Tracey, the media relations coordinator for Guelph Police. “They tried to get the two tenants out of the basement and were unsuccessful in doing so.”
Firefighters rescued a woman in her 40s from the first floor of the building, while a man in his 40s was found in the basement.
Officials said he did not have vital signs and was later pronounced deceased.
A neighbour in the townhome complex told CTV News the victim’s name was Mike and described him as her “little brother.”
The woman, meanwhile, was transported to a Hamilton hospital with serious injuries.
A dog was also taken to the Guelph Humane Society for assessment.
Fire investigation
The Ontario Fire Marshall is now investigating the source and cause of the fire, as well as whether there were working fire alarms in the townhome.
They said they could not comment on the case as it was a death investigation.
Officials told CTV News they expect to remain on scene for a couple more days.
Guelph’s fire chief praised the work of his team.
“I’m very proud of the efforts of our Guelph firefighters demonstrated this morning,” Brian Arnold said. “Unfortunately, the results were not what we hoped for. The efforts [of firefighters] were professional and they worked efficiently and as effectively as they could under difficult fire conditions. I thank them for their work and for their efforts.”
