CALGARY – Fire officials say a man has died in an early morning blaze inside an apartment building in the northwest Calgary community of Ranchlands.
Crews were called to a building in the 6000 block of Ranchview Drive N.W. at about 2:30 a.m. for reports of a fire.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found smoke and flames coming from a second floor suite in the building.
"Crews knocked the fire down and contained it to the suite involved," said District Chief Wayne Bonderud.
The fire did not spread to other units or areas of the building.
When the fire was out, they discovered the body of a man inside.
"It's hard to find deceased people of course and its a horrible death, and we treat it as such. The crews will be watched to make sure they are doing OK with it, and if they need help we'll offer it to them," said Bonderud.
No one else was in the suite and approximately 20 residents managed to escape the building safely and were housed in a Calgary Transit bus because of the cold weather.
Fire crews and a Calgary police investigator remained at the scene until Sunday afternoon.
People living nearby in the complex told CTV News Calgary they were in shock.
"Kinda scary. Makes me glad I live on the main level. You know, if something ever happens you can just get out," one person said.
Fire crews and an investigator remain at the scene to monitor the fire and work to determine a cause.
The victim has not been identified.
Anyone with information, including photos and video of the fire, is asked to contact the Calgary Fire Department via email.
