A 54-year-old man and two pet dogs died in a fire early Monday morning, in an apartment above a commercial office in the 13400-block of 71A Avenue in Newton.
Battalion Chief Dennis Bull, of Surrey Fire Service, told the Now-Leader it’s not yet known what caused the three-alarm fire, which happened at 3:30 a.m.
Thirty firefighters fought the blaze. Bull said fire investigators will be on site this morning and it has yet to be established if the apartment had an operating smoke alarm.
Surrey RCMP Cpl. James Mason said police arrived as firefighters were evacuating occupants from other suites. Paramedics tried to revive the man.
BC Emergency Health Services (EHS) performed lifesaving efforts; unfortunately, the 54-year-old Surrey man did not survive. Two pets also died in the fire.
Mason said it’s been determined “the cause of the fire was not suspicious.
The victim’s name has not been released.