Body found inside East Vancouver home after morning fire
Family of 3 escaped fire unharmed, but firefighters could not locate basement tenant
One of the survivors of a fatal house fire in East Vancouver says he is lucky to have escaped with his life.
Police have confirmed that a body was discovered inside a home in the 3400 block of East Third Avenue after firefighters knocked down a two-alarm blaze.
Lawrence Ramlu lives with his parents on the house's upper floor. All three family members managed to get out safely after they noticed the fire at about 8:30 a.m., but the man who lived downstairs did not.
"We were lucky to escape from the upstairs part," Ramlu told CBC News. "We just see the smoke and my mom managed to get us awake."
He described the death of his downstairs neighbour as a "terrible accident."
Vancouver Fire Battalion Chief Steve Duncan said the house was engulfed in flames by the time crews arrived.
"We could see smoke before we even got here," Duncan told CBC News. "The windows were all compromised. The fire was out pretty much almost every window."
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
Vancouver police are now working with investigators from Vancouver Fire and Rescue, and a coroner is on the scene.
With files from Meera Bains