Man dies in 'extremely hot' apartment fire in Simcoe
Police say the officer on duty saw flames 'shoot out of the roof and windows'
A man is dead after an apartment fire in Simcoe, prompting investigations from the Ontario Provincial Police and the office of the Ontario Fire Marshal.
A second man was rescued from an adjoining apartment. A dog also died in the fire.
Norfolk County OPP Const. Ed Sanchuk told CBC News an officer was patrolling at 10 p.m. on Monday when he saw a fire on Culver street.
The burning building was a storefront with an apartment on the second floor and ground-level apartment behind the shop.
"When he went around the back, he saw flames shoot out of the roof and windows," Sanchuk said.
But the officer, who is also a volunteer firefighter, noticed a person in the ground-level apartment with mobility issues. First responders rescued him.
"They couldn't get to second story apartment due to flames and smoke. It was an extremely hot fire," Sanchuk said.
After the flames settled down, first responders found a man inside the second-story apartment who was pronounced dead in the hospital while a small family dog in the apartment also died in the fire.
The man's identity is not being released until his family learns about his death and a post-mortem examination is slated for later this week.
Ryan Betts, a spokesperson from the office of the Ontario Fire Marshal, tells CBC News they will arrive at the scene on Tuesday to investigate the cause of the fire.