Family identifies man killed in Horsham condo fire

HORSHAM, Pa. (WPVI) -- Family members have identified the man who was killed in a condo fire in Horsham Township, Montgomery County.

The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. Saturday at the Brookwood Condominiums on the 300 block of Green Meadow Lane.

At first, it was thought that everyone made it out safely with no injuries.

However inside, firefighters found the body of a man family members believe is their loved one 27-year-old Kevin Hemminger.

"Every time we saw him, he was good spirited. He was always nice to us, always saying hi so he seemed like a good guy," said John Noel.

The flames devoured a second floor condo.

Noel and his girlfriend lived on the first floor.

"There was no smoke in our apartment or anything. We could smell something was off and once we got out of the bedroom and looked up the sky was orange," said Noel.

Many were asleep inside the complex when the fire broke out.

"It sounded like bowling balls on the roof above us and it was really loud. It must have been the wood breaking or something like that and that's what woke us up," said Noel.

It took about two hours to get the massive fire under control.

However as firefighters cleared debris, that's when they discovered the badly burned body of the victim.

The medical examiner is still trying to make a positive identification but Saturday night. However family members of Hemminger, a father of a 5-year-old boy, told Action News they already know the outcome.

Hemminger, who grew up in Horsham, owned Hemi's Appliance Repair. His brothers, including a twin, say he had only been renting the condo for less than a year.

"It's so unfortunate because he was so young. I'm very sad for him and his family and it's very unfortunate," said Kaitlin Foley.

Along with his family, neighbors are also mourning the loss. Many of them came back to the scene hours later, trying to salvage valuables.

Because of the extensive smoke damage, several families like Heather Pasko and her son are out of their homes.

"I'm just blessed and thankful that my son and I got out but it's tragic. I mean it was scary, just really scary," said Pasko.

The Red Cross is assisting four families impacted by the fire.

So far, no word yet on what sparked the blaze.