A fire in a Scott Street home near Hillside Avenue has left the lone occupant of a bungalow dead.
The man, believed to be middle-aged, was discovered in the house within a couple of minutes of firefighters arriving on scene, said battalion chief Wayne Moody of the Victoria Fire Department. The 911 calls came in about 6:45 p.m., reporting smoke and flame coming from 2951 Scott St.
Firefighters discovered and removed the man from the building and immediately began CPR, which was then continued by B.C. Ambulance personnel, Moody said
The man is believed to have died before getting to nearby Royal Jubilee Hospital. “It’s something you don’t get used to,” Moody said.
When firefighters arrived, they fought major flames from the back of the house and were quickly able to extinguish most of the fire, he said. From there, the firefighters attacked the fire from the entrance.
Nineteen firefighters responded along with a rescue truck, ladder truck and command vehicle.
A preliminary investigation is underway, with fire and police investigations due to continue Wednesday, Moody said. A fire crew was still on scene at 10 p.m. to “make sure nothing flares up,” he said. “We’re going to be there a few more hours.”
The house sustained about $300,000 worth of damage and will likely need to be torn down, he said.
— With a file from Louise Dickson
