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Man dies in Burnaby apartment fire following dramatic rescue

Firefighters pulled the man, who was not breathing, out of the smoky apartment.
burnaby-fire-holdom
Burnaby firefighters battle a fire at an apartment on Holdom Avenue. Photo: Ryan Stelting

A man pulled from a two-alarm apartment fire in North Burnaby yesterday has died.

Crews were called to an older, three-storey lowrise at 281 Holdom Ave. at 3:35 p.m., according to assistant fire Chief Dave Younger.

On arrival, they found heavy smoke and flames showing from a ground-floor apartment in the back, Younger said.

Firefighters evacuated about 12 suites and quickly knocked down the blaze, according to Younger.

But, during a search, they found an unresponsive man in the apartment, which had been “fully involved,” Younger said.

Firefighters performed CPR on the man for some time before he was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to Younger.

Paramedics also treated three other people at the scene, including one neighbour who, along with another local resident, had tried to slow down the blaze with garden hoses before fire crews arrived, Younger said.

Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email [email protected]

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