One person is dead and another is in hospital following a fire at a townhouse Thursday in southeast Calgary.

The Calgary Fire Department was called to Lynnview Road SE shortly after 5 p.m.

Heavy smoke and flames were coming from the house when firefighters arrived on scene.

Firefighters found an elderly man residing in the house outside, then learned his elderly mother was still inside.

Firefighters entered the house and removed the mother, but her injuries were fatal.

According to firefighters, the mother and son were sleeping upstairs when the fire alarm went off.

The son woke up and went downstairs to investigate.

“He saw a fire developing in the kitchen,” the CFD said in a statement released Thursday evening.

“He tried to put it out, but the fire quickly got bigger, so he had to get out.

“Once outside, he realized that his mother had not evacuated and was probably still inside. He tried to go back in to find her and help her; however, the thick smoke prevented him from doing so.”

Emergency medical services transported the son to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

One person is dead and another is in hospital following a fire at a townhouse Thursday in southeast Calgary.

Firefighters brought the fire under control.

The CFD says the unit where the fire broke out suffered significant damage and neighboring units suffered smoke damage.

The terraced houses were evacuated for a while.

A firefighter was injured and taken to hospital.

Firefighters remained on site until Thursday evening to respond to hot spots.

Firefighters were also on site to determine the cause of the fire.

“The Calgary Fire Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased,” the CFD said in its statement.

“These types of incidents are heartbreakingly tragic and impact the entire community.”