A 72-year-old man is dead and a 76-year-old woman is recovering in hospital after a fire at a single-family home in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
Patrick Fournel, with the Montreal fire department, said the fire broke out at around 5 p.m. in the basement of a two-storey house located on Woodside Street.
When firefighters arrived at the home, both victims were in cardiac arrest.
The man was declared dead at the scene, while the women was rushed to hospital. She is now in stable condition, Fournel said.
It took about 50 firefighters one hour to put out the blaze.
“Upon arrival at the scene there was heavy smoke,” Fournel said, adding the home had to be ventilated.
While the home had a working fire alarm, Fournel said it serves as good reminder for people to check theirs are in working order.
“It’s the number one cause of death,” Fournel warned.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Montreal police have taken over the investigation, as is the case whenever there is a fatality.