STONEWALL – A 68-year-old man was killed in a house fire this morning in Stonewall, a spokesman with the Stonewall-Rockwood Fire Department confirmed.
The victim’s name has not been released.
Ray Gluchi, chief training officer for the fire department, said the small, older two-storey home went up in flames about 6 a.m. The blaze started on the main floor, but a cause hasn’t been determined.
The home is located on 3rd Avenue South, about four blocks from the corner of Highway 67 and Highway 236.
Firefighters from the Town of Stonewall and the RM of Rockwood were still on the scene at 8:30 a.m.
Gluchi said the victim may have been asleep when the fire began, but added “he was trying to make his way out.”
It’s the town’s fourth fatal fire in 100 years, the last coming on Jan. 1, 2007, said Gluchi.
A neighbour, who didn’t want to give his name, said he and his wife saw smoke billowing from the front door, adding firefighters worked hard to extinguish the blaze.
Another neighbour was visibly shaken by the news the man she only knew as ‘Mr. Bill’ had died.
“He was really pleasant, a wonderful man,” said the woman, who didn’t want her name used. “He gardened beautifully, vegetables and flowers.”
The home is one of the oldest in the area, she said.
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