1 dead in Vancouver Island apartment fire

One person has died in an apartment fire in the small Vancouver Island community of Merville.

Three other people were injured in the blaze, which broke out just before noon on Tuesday in a wood-framed apartment building in the Comox Valley community.

It's suspected the fire started on the second floor of the building, then quickly spread to other units.

Fire crews from Courtenay and Oyster River knocked down the fire. The cause is still under investigation.