One person is dead after fire at 16 Harding Place in Danbury early Sunday morning.
Neighbors heard desperate cries for help around 2 a.m. on Sunday.
"Help that’s what I heard, and screaming,” Maria Beltran said. "I saw the people standing over there waiting, screaming to call the firetrucks! ”
When fire officials arrived, the three-apartment home was completely engulfed. Flames and smoke were visible from a block away.
"I saw smoke and a lot of fire, and I saw flames going out of the windows,” Beltran said.
Firefighters said they found a dead body on the first floor.
“The victim who was deceased was found in the fire room itself,” said Danbury Assistant Fire Chief Bernie Meehan.
"We just know him as Old Man Buck," said John Morales.
John Morales, a neighbor and friend, said he knew the fire victim, whose name was not released as of Sunday morning.
Morales returned to the scene and was in disbelief as he canvassed the charred remains of the home.
“I’m here almost every day and this is not normal,” Morales said.
Officials said five other people were inside the home at the time of the fire and escaped with only minor injuries.
Firefighters believe the fatal blaze started on the first floor, where the victim was discovered.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
