KINGSTON, Jamaica — A 70-year-old man has died in a fire at the Gallery Apartments on Oxford Road in New Kingston on Thursday morning, according to Courtney Thompson, assistant superintendent of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB).

Thompson confirmed to Observer Online that the man’s charred remains were found in the rubble after the blaze was extinguished. His identity has not yet been disclosed.

According to Thompson, the JFB received a call alerting firefighters to the fire at 4:12 am, prompting the immediate dispatch of two units—one from York Park and another from Half-Way Tree. While en route, a lawman on the scene requested additional support due to the fire’s intensity, leading to the dispatch of further units from Rollington Town, Trench Town, and another unit from York Park.

“Upon arrival, the fire was confined to the sixth floor of the Gallery Apartment Complex, where one jet was used to extinguish the flame. Carrying out inspection of the premises and search and rescue, we would have discovered a 70-year-old male charred remains in the rubble,” Thompson said.

“We were told that the gentleman left the premises and returned to retrieve something and he would have suffocated in the fire and this would have been how he made his demise,” he continued.

Initial reports suggest the fire started in the penthouse of apartment six. The JFB is currently investigating the cause of the blaze.

Some six families have reportedly been affected by the fire.

READ: WATCH: One person feared dead in Gallery Apartments fire in New Kingston

(Video: Ramon Thompson)