Nov. 06--MILFORD -- A fire that tore through a home in the eastern part of the city killed an unidentified man Tuesday afternoon.
The blaze at 63 Summit Ave. broke out around 4:40 p.m. and raced through the raised-ranch style house, authorities said.
"It's a horrible loss, especially with a wife and family," said John Mino, who lives nearby. "The house is always replaceable, it's the life that's not replaceable."
Speaking over the rumble of idling firetrucks surrounding the burned structure, Fire Capt. Kyle Brotherton said neighbors tried to put the fire out with garden hoses before rescue crews arrived.
But the flames persisted, causing severe damage, especially in the living room.
"Crews went in, made an aggressive interior attack (and) extinguished the fire," he said. "The second crews came in and did a primary search and found a victim."
Brotherton said rescuers pulled the man out from the two-story home and administered CPR. Those rescue efforts were unsuccessful.
The man's identity was not released Tuesday night, but Brotherton said efforts were underway to notify his next of kin. He said later that the man had been pronounced dead at the scene.
Several firetrucks crowded into the closely packed streets of the neighborhood just off Edgefield Avenue. A few residents watched as city and state investigators worked to determine the cause of the blaze, the flashing lights of emergency vehicles lighting up the quiet block.
Mino did not give the name of the man who died. He said he spoke to the man occasionally when walking through the neighborhood and that their children were playmates several years ago.
"He was a decent guy, kept to himself," Mino said.
Neighbor Frank Mikan said firefighters had the blaze under control in less than a half an hour.
"It was pretty much billowing when I came up," he said. "It was going pretty good."
Neighbors said the occupant of the house was an elderly man. According to Milford tax records, the house is owned by Alexander and Gabriella Szabados.
The 1,332-square-foot, raised ranch was built in 1974. It has an assessed value of $124,000.
Digital Editor Jim Shay and staff writer Daniel Tepfer contributed to this report.
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