House fire claims a life in Abington, Montgomery County
ABINGTON, Pa. (WPVI) -- An early morning house fire claimed the life of a 69-year-old man in Montgomery County.
The fire broke out after 2 a.m. Thursday on the 600 block of Garfield Avenue in Abington.
A neighbor reported the fire by calling 911.
Police and firefighters from four surrounding companies arrived to find fierce flames shooting from the rear of 2-story house.
Action News is told flames were already shooting through the roof and were particularly heavy in the rear bedroom.
It took firefighters about half an hour to get the fire under control.
They found a 69-year-old man inside on the living room floor. He was already unconscious.
"He was taken from the home, out the back door," said Abington Township Fire Marshal Kenneth Clark. "He was evaluated by EMS personnel, and the determination was made that he had passed."
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Clark, there was past contact between township maintenance officials and the property's owner due to complaints about hoarding.
Clark said hoarding conditions inside the home made it harder for firefighters to battle the fire.
Neighbors came running when they saw the smoke and flames overnight.
"I saw smoke, tons of smoke, so I ran up here," said Fran Kash. "There was lots of fire, and I was like, 'Oh my God, there's a huge fire!' When I got here they were hosing down the roof."
Investigators remained on the scene Thursday morning, working to determine what touched off the blaze.
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