OTTAWA -- One person is dead after an early morning fire in a Britannia apartment.

Firefighters responded to multiple 911 calls reporting heavy smoke in a three-storey apartment building on Zephyr Avenue just before 3 a.m. The fire was contained to a single apartment on the second floor.

Ottawa Fire says during a primary search of the unit, one person was found with vital signs absent and pronounced dead at the scene. 

A 63-year-old man was transported to hospital in serious but stable condition.

An Ottawa Paramedic spokesperson says two neighbours were assessed on scene, and released.

There is no word on the cause of the fire. An Ottawa Fire investigator will be on scene this morning to investigate. 

More to come ...