致命圣约翰火灾

A Saint John man in his 50s is dead following an apartment building fire on the city's lower west side Tuesday morning.

Emergency crews were called to 120 Prince St. West, just after 3 a.m., said acting Staff Sgt. Don Cooper. An occupant woke up smelling smoke and called 911.

When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the two-storey wooden building.

The man, who had collapsed inside his ground level apartment, was sent by ambulance to hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cooper said.

His identity has not yet been released.

Carol Murphy, who lives in an upstairs apartment in the building, said the man lived with his mother, who was not home at the time.

Murphy was alerted to the fire by a neighbour. "He said 'The house is on fire.' So I just got ready.... I got the dogs, the cat and come out and got in the car. I didn't hear nothing," she said.

Firefighters were able to quickly put out the fire, which was contained to a bedroom at the back of the victim's apartment, said District Chief Gerald Green. The fire was small, but produced heavy smoke and intense heat, he said.

Early indications suggest it was accidental, said Green.

"The actual fire was contained to the bedroom, actually to the bed. Having said that, there was a tremendous amount of heat. The bed itself and within the bedroom is destroyed."

The victim was found in the bedroom doorway, Green said.

There was a smoke detector in the apartment, but it melted from the heat and investigators don't know if it was working, he said.

Investigators remained on the scene into the afternoon, trying to determine the cause. Police tape cordoned off the building.