A fire in N.D.G. has killed a man in his 40s, and the Montreal police arson squad is investigating.

The fire erupted in an apartment building on Marlowe, near de Maisonneuve, early Tuesday evening.

It sent tenants into the streets and damaged much of the building before firefighters could contain it.

Chief of Operations Remy Perry said firefighters found two victims inside the apartment building.

"When they evacuated the building they saw two bodies on the floor," Perry told CTV's Cindy Sherwin.

"One, sadly, is dead the other one is mostly okay -- he was breathing when they transported him to Montreal General Hospital."

It's not known if the two men were both tenants.