A 55-year-old man died after being pulled from a house on fire in Saskatoon early Sunday morning.

When emergency crews arrived at the home on the 1800 block of Cumberland Avenue at about 5:20 a.m. CST, heavy smoke had filled the interior.

Initial reports suggested a woman had fled to a neighbour's house, but a man had remained inside.

Firefighters searched the basement of the house where they found an unconscious man. Crews performed CPR as they brought him outside and loaded him into an ambulance, officials said.

The man was rushed to a Saskatoon hospital. Officials said he went into cardiac arrest on the way there.

The fire was extinguished and investigators were on the scene later.

Fire officials said the flames came from the furnace room in the home's basement.

Total damage is estimated at $100,000.

Cumberland Avenue between Taylor Street and 1st Street East was closed off by police for a while and drivers were asked to avoid the area.