2 dead, 2 injured in Halifax-area house fire

LOWER SACKVILLE, N.S. — A man and a child are dead and two others are injured after a house fire early Saturday in the Halifax area, police said.

Police said a 58-year-old man and 11-year-old girl were killed, and an 18-year-old man has been sent to hospital with lifethreatening injuries.

Police responded to multiple calls about a fire at a duplex in Lower Sackville, N.S., at about 2:30 a.m.

RCMP Cpl. Dal Hutchinson said firefighters rescued three residents from inside the duplex.

The young girl was transported to the IWK Health Centre, where she was later pronounced dead.

He said the 58-year-old man died at the scene.

Hutchinson said officers borrowed a ladder from a neighbouring house to rescue a 46-year-old woman from a second-floor window. The woman suffered minor injuries .

Hutchinson said he did not have any information on the status of the critically injured young man.

“The family is going to require a lot of support,” he said. “It’s a very tragic situation and difficult time for them right now, and our thoughts are with them.”

Residents of the other side of the duplex escaped without injuries, he said.

Hutchinson said officials are in the early phases of an investigation to determine the cause of the fire, which is not believed to be suspicious.