By Adam Brazeau
CORNWALL, Ontario – Authorities confirmed that a man is dead after an apartment fire in the city’s west end.
Fire Chief Richard McCullough wouldn’t release the man’s identity, but a media statement issued by the Cornwall Fire Department on Tuesday said the 57-year-old Cornwall man died in a fire caused by “smoking articles” on Friday, April 3.
In local obituaries, Denis Laframboise is said to have died suddenly at his residence on the day of the fire, and is also 57.
The fire department said the blaze started at 2:28 a.m. on the 0-100 block of Sixth Street West.
Seven firefighters battled flames as clouds of smoke billowed from the burning upstairs apartment; other crews were already involved with a large gas leak on the 0-100 block of Albert Street.
Six additional fire personnel were called to assist with suppression activities. In total five trucks and 19 firefighters were on scene.
The man was removed from the two storey multiplex and transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died.
Officials noted that the fire was difficult to extinguish, leading to three firefighters being treated for minor injuries.
The Ontario Fire Marshall’s office was dispatched to investigate the cause of the fire.
