Senior dead after North Burnaby house fire

Senior killed after fire engulfs Burnaby home A woman in her 70s is dead after flames tore through her North Burnaby home in the middle of the night.

Burnaby, B.C. — A senior has died after a house fire on Dundas Street, near Ranelagh Avenue in the Capitol Hill area of North Burnaby.

The BC Coroners Service confirmed Tuesday it is investigating the death of a woman in her 70s.

Fire crews were called to the home just before 1 a.m. after reports of heavy fire. By the time they arrived, the house was already engulfed and there were reports of a person trapped inside.

Firefighters then rushed into the burning building.

"Crews went into rescue mode," said Chris Bowcock, deputy chief with the Burnaby Fire Department. "We committed a significant number of companies to the interior of the building to locate, find, and remove that individual from the inside. That rescue was successful under heavy fire conditions."

Crews could be seen performing CPR on the woman near the home but it appears she did not survive her injuries.

"Our crews did everything they could," Bowcock said.

It also appears one other person made it out of the home without serious injuries but was taken to hospital.

Damage to the home is extensive.

"Because of the individual inside we really focused on that piece of it. Priority of life. Curtailing the damage from the fire was of secondary purpose to us," Bowcock said.

About 30 firefighters helped battle the flames.

Burnaby RCMP remained at the home early Tuesday morning.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.