The fire happened around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at 70 East Stewart Avenue.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames tearing through the home and rang a second alarm.
"The windows were blasting out. All you can hear was 'pop, pop, pop' and glass busting," said neighbor Kass Morris.
"They broke out the windows and the flames started shooting out and the smoke started coming out," said neighbor Samuel Young.
The body of the elderly man was discovered in the living room after firefighters searched the home. Neighbors say the man was a veteran and now worked at the nearby Giant supermarket.
He has not yet been officially identified.
Authorities say the homeowner was a hoarder and they had to attack the fire from the outside because of the hazards inside.
They added that utilities were shut off months ago.
