Man dies after being trapped in burning house in northeast Calgary

A man is dead and arson police are investigating after he became trapped in a burning house in northeast Calgary early Thursday morning.

Emergency crews were met with heavy smoke and flames when they got to the two-storey home in the 100 block of 9A Street N.E. just before midnight.

Crews located a woman in the back of the house who told them that two men were still inside, the fire department said in a release.

After fighting the fire on the main floor, crews found one man on the second floor.

"Due to the extent of his injuries he was immediately transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to those injuries," the release said.

A second man was later found uninjured in a garage behind the house that was not impacted by the fire.

The woman was treated for smoke inhalation.

Central district chief Innes Fraser said 11 pieces of apparatus responded to the fire. 

"We're working on the cause right now. Our investigators are working in conjunction with CPS arson investigators," he said, adding that the house was "a location of interest" to Calgary police.

He requested anyone who has video or photos of the fire — especially before emergency crews arrived — to contact the fire department.

Fraser said he wants to remind Calgarians to make sure their smoke alarms are working.

"Smoke doesn't wake people up. Smoke kills people. You need a smoke alarm in your home," he said.