An elderly New Westminster man died Tuesday night in a house fire in the 300-block Alberta Street.
Deputy fire chief John Hatch said flames were coming out of the back of the house when crews arrived at the location at about 6:30 p.m.
Firefighters pulled the elderly occupant from the burning house and began CPR.
He was then transported to hospital where he died, said Hack.
No one else was in the two-storey house at the time, he added.
Neighbours said the elderly man, believed to be in his 70s, lived on the street for about 30 years.
They said he was living alone at the time.
One neighbour said she was alerted to the fire by the smell of thick smoke. When she went outside, she saw the flames.
"They were coming out of the back," she said. "They were quite large."
She said another neighbour, a young man, tried to get into the house but was pushed back by the smoke.
"The smoke was too much," she said. "He tried his best but he couldn't get in there."
Hatch said four fire trucks and one rescue vehicle attended the scene. Crews remained on site late Tuesday dousing out hot spots.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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