An elderly man perishes in the fire of an apartment on Emperor Avenue

A fire in a small building on Emperor Avenue in the Carlington neighborhood killed an elderly man on Tuesday.

Shortly after 6:30 pm, the Ottawa Fire Department received several calls for intense smoke and flames from the back of a small building at 1290 Emperor Ave. A fire was declared at 6:31 and reported under control at 6:42.

The building has four apartments and the fire was contained in one of the two units on the upper floor.

The neighbors say that 93-year-old Frank Varga, who lived in the apartment, was a much-loved fixture in the neighborhood and had lived in this apartment for over 40 years. They described it as being helpful and friendly, and known for the beautiful garden that he planted around the Ottawa Community Housing Building.

Neighbor Lucienne Larent said that she and her husband, Lionel, had lived alongside Varga for 34 years. Despite her age, Varga was fiercely independent and worked hard to keep the building in order. He was injured in the head last summer when he fell off a ladder, but he quickly returned home.

"There is nobody like him," said Lucienne.

"He was like a grandfather here," added another neighbor, who declined to be named. "It's a big loss for the neighborhood."

Firefighters were called into the building in May to put out another fire after a spark ignited a bird's nest in a gutter.

Residents of the area said the tenants of the building had been informed that they were due to leave by February. Two people were displaced by the fire.

An investigation is underway on the cause of the fire. The Ontario Fire Marshal was on scene Tuesday night.

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