Five days after a fire broke out in an apartment building in central Edmonton, a man who was rescued from the blaze has died.
The 54-year-old man was sent to hospital with life-threatening injuries after the fire at the four-storey building in the area of 115th Street and 107th Avenue around 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
The man died Friday morning in hospital, Edmonton police said in a new release. An autopsy was scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Police have said they suspect arson was the cause of the fire and investigations by the police homicide section and arson unit are continuing.
Acting deputy chief Bill Brown has said Edmonton Fire Rescue received calls at 7:34 a.m. reporting a fire in the 24-suite building. It soon became a two-alarm fire, requiring more crews to respond. When firefighters arrived, there were heavy flames shooting from the south side of the building.
Three people had to be rescued from the building’s exterior: two from third-floor balconies and one from a window on the fourth floor. Firefighters also rescued a person from inside the building.
Two people were taken to hospital, including the 54-year-old man who has died.
There were 35 residents displaced by the fire. Emergency Social Services and Red Cross were called to assist.
