Man dies after housemates try to save him from fire

ATLANTA — A man died early Friday in a fire at a boarding house in northwest Atlanta.

The fire was reported just before 3:30 a.m. Friday in a house on Neal Street.

Channel 2's Audrey Washington spoke to residents of the house, who said they tried to save the man.

They said a total of seven people live in the house. %

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One woman said she and others tried to help those in wheelchairs get out of the house first.

They heard one man screaming for help but were not able to get to him, she said. Firefighters later found his body inside.

"He was trying to say 'Help' and we were trying to help him out, but we couldn't get him out," LaQuanda Johnson said. "We were trying to get the people in the wheelchairs out."

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Fire officials said there are six bedrooms in the boarding house.

They said they are still investigating the cause of the fire, but that it appears to be accidental.

The Red Cross said they are helping 14 people (10 families) displaced by the fire with their immediate emergency needs for lodging, food, emotional support, and other essentials.

Firefighters said they did not find any working smoke detectors in the house.

No one besides the man was injured in the home.

Cox Media Group