Senior dead after New Year's Eve house fire in East Vancouver

A man in his 70s is dead after a fire broke out at a home in East Vancouver on New Year's Eve, according to first responders.

Matthew Trudeau, public information officer for Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, says crews were called to a home at 5579 Ormidale St. just before 9 p.m. Saturday.

"Our crews responded and were met with heavy fire and smoke conditions inside. The crews quickly and aggressively made an interior attack to knock down the fire and were met with more heavy flames and smoke inside," he said.

"One person was found deceased in the structure … It was a really tragic, difficult scene for our crews and our condolences go out to the friends and family and people impacted by the loss."

Trudeau said 50 firefighters and 16 apparatus responded and managed to prevent the fire from spreading to any nearby structures.

There were no working smoke alarms in the home but another person who was there heard a small explosion, saw smoke and called 911.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but there are no early indications that it was suspicious, Trudeau added.

"The normal response is having the investigators go in, especially with a fire fatality, to ensure that it's documented that we get all the information possible, especially for the family, but also to try to prevent future fires," he said.

Kirshnaa Ramesh lives down the street and says she could smell smoke in her own apartment. That’s when she decided to see where the smell was coming from.

"There were a lot of firetrucks, a lot of police officers, it was scary obviously. We didn't really know what was going on but we knew it was serious,” she said.

“It is really sad especially on New Years Eve, it’s quite upsetting.” 

The blaze came during what has been a busy holiday season for the city's fire department, as calls have spiked due to extreme weather.

"This year specifically because of the cold temperatures, because of the snow, there was a huge increase for medical calls, for fires, for burst pipes in buildings. It's been an incredibly busy time," he said.

On Christmas Eve, for example, Trudeau says Vancouver Fire Rescue Services received 179 "alarm" calls. In a typical year that number would be between 40 and 50.