A 71-year-old man died in a fire at the house at 63 Summit Avenue in Milford on Tuesday evening.
The Milford Fire-Rescue Department has identified the man as Alex Szabados.
Fire officials started receiving 911 calls reporting the fire at 4:22 p.m. and found neighbors using a garden hose to try and put out the fire.
Ana Olbrys, a neighbor, said when she saw the smoke and flames next door, she ran outside to help. She and another neighbor grabbed a garden hose to do what they could until firefighters arrived.
"I said, 'Oh my God. Call him! Call him!'" said neighbor Ana Olbrys. "Somebody tried to call, but nobody answered. But the fire was getting bigger and bigger in the window."
"[Firefighters] came and pulled him out and did CPR," said Olbrys.
"I seen the flames coming out of the windows," said neighbor Frank Mikan.
When firefighters searched the home, they found Szabados in the bathroom.Emergency medical technicians tried to resuscitate him, but he died at the scene.
"It's tragic. I'm very sorry to hear about it," neighbor Ana Carter said.
Milford and state fire marshals arrived and combed through the inside of the home and its contents. The cause has not been determined, but the focus of the investigation was on the living room, which is where authorities said the fire began.
"He was really a sweet old man," said Olbrys. "We're going to miss him a lot."
Neighbors said the victim's wife was at work at when fire broke out. Firefighters did not find anyone else inside the home.
