One person dead after Vancouver apartment fire

One person is dead after an apartment fire in downtown Vancouver on Friday.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services says it was called to a two-alarm fire in one of the units of a building in the 1300 block of Hornby Street just before noon.

Acting Assistant Chief Richard Craven said the fire was in a seventh-floor unit.

The victim, the units occupant, died despite efforts to provide CPR, he said.

0:24 Frantic efforts could not save man’s life after fire broke out in Vancouver high-rise

Gord Mafatow, the victim’s neighbour and a paramedic, ran outside the building when he was alerted to the fire.

He found the victim on the ground outside, with burns.

“I went up to him, my paramedic training kicked in, I worked him and then the firefighters showed up,” he said.

“We tried our best.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The building was evacuated, but it was not immediately clear how many units suffered fire, smoke or water damage.

1:47 Fire crews called to blaze at West End high-rise