ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - A 44-year-old man is dead following a fire in the southern Ontario city of St. Catharines early on Saturday morning.

Police say the man was found inside a house on Arthur Street suffering from "trauma" resulting from the fire.

The man was taken to hospital and then pronounced dead.

Police say the fire was small and quickly extinguished when fire crews responded at around 2:30 a.m.

The Ontario Fire Marshall's office is investigating.