78-year-old man dies in Verdun fire

FILE PHOTO (Daniel J. Rowe / CTV News Montreal)

A 78-year-old man died Monday following a residential fire in Verdun.

A spokesperson for the Montreal fire department (SIM) said the origin of the fire is unknown, but the file has been transferred to police.

The fire occurred around 5 a.m. on the corner of Bannantyne and Stephens Streets. The man was transferred to hospital in critical condition but later died of his injuries.

It's the second Monday morning blaze in Montreal; around 1 a.m. in the Quatier Latin, a building was evacuated with two families inside due to a fire at a building on Saint-Denis and Emery Streets.

Meanwhile, rescuers were in Old Montreal Monday attempting to recover bodies from a massive fire last week that left at least one dead and six missing.

With files from The Canadian Press.