A man is dead after a house fire broke out in southeast Fort Worth at about 1:40 p.m. on Monday.
Neighbors tried to get into the house, but were overwhelmed by smoke when they broke into a window and the front door.
When firefighters arrived at approximately 1:45 p.m., they found heavy smoke pouring from the home.
Fire crews were able to get into the home and put the flames out and that's when they found the victim inside.
Fire officials say he's a man approximately 70 years of age. Neighbors and fire officials say he was able to move on his own, but he may not have moved very fast.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation as of Monday afternoon. Fire spokesman Lt. Kyle Falkner said there was a smoke detector in the house, but it's too early to say if it was working or not.
He said, while the cause in this fire is unclear, it's a good reminder for everyone this time of year.
“This time of year we definitely want to emphasize people need to have working smoke detectors in their home,” Falkner said. “Also, with the cold weather right now, we always want to emphasize the importance of proper use of space heaters. Make sure you maintain an area, we recommend, an area about three feet away from the heaters.”
Neighbor Terrell Palmer was one of several people who tried to get into the home.
"I opened up the front door and all this smoke just rushed me," Palmer said. "I got on my (all) fours, thinking I could go in there, it was just too thick. I know if I couldn't stand it (the smoke), he couldn't. It was a done deal."
Palmer said he knows the man was home because his truck was in the driveway, he just wishes he was able to do more.
"I felt like I could have did something, but they were telling me that it would be too late if it was already smoking like it was," Palmer said.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office will release the victim's name.
