UPDATE: Senior dies after Mount Royal fire

CALGARY- An elderly man pulled out of a house fire in the southwest community of Mount Royal has died of his injuries.

The fire broke out around 11 a.m. at a house in the 1400 block of Premier Way. Fire crews rushed to the scene, and could be seen fighting the blaze from the garage, which is built into the basement of the home.

“Initially we thought it was smoke coming out of his chimney like a normal fireplace fire, later we started seeing it coming out of his garage,” says neighbour Glen Price, who called 911.

EMS say a man in his mid-80’s, who was the only one inside, was pulled out. He was rushed to hospital in critical, life-threatening condition, but died of his injuries.

“The firemen came up and pulled him out, he was in his underwear,” Price says. “They put him in an ambulance.”

Neighbouring homes were evacuated as the fire grew, but crews were eventually to get control of it.

“It’s an older home with lots of fuel load, so we brought in extra trucks and water to protect homes on either side,” explains Batt. Chief John Cherweniuk. “Those have become the number one focus.”

There is no word yet what caused the fire. Over the dinner hour, workers began bulldozing the home.

Neighbours say the victim lived by himself after his wife died five years ago, also on Boxing Day. They have identified him as longtime family doctor Otto Spika.