An elderly man has died, and his wife is in the hospital in stable condition following an overnight fire at a low-rise apartment building in Hamilton.
Fire officials responded to an address on Fennell Avenue East, near Mountain Brow Boulevard, at around 5 a.m. on Thursday.
A man in his 80s was pronounced dead, while a woman, also in her 80s, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.
“As the firefighters worked their way into the apartment, they were able to locate two people. One person [a female] was located in the living room,” Hamilton police said. “They were rescued by firefighters [from] the exterior of the building and then placed in the care of Hamilton Paramedics.”
The woman is now in stable condition, police noted. A cat inside the unit also died in the fire.
“The apartment has sustained extensive fire and smoke damage,” police added. “Current damage estimates are estimated to be in the $150,000 range.”
It’s unclear how the fire started.
Fennell Avenue East was closed from Shirley Street to Princeton Drive for the investigation, but has since reopened.
The Office of the Fire Marshal has been notified.