Man Dies In Westwood House Fire
WESTWOOD (CBS) – A man died in a house fire in Westwood Wednesday night. The fire chief says the victim was found within minutes of firefighters responding to 70 Tamarack Road. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"There was kind of what appeared to be a small explosion and sparks flying out of the other end of the house, which then caught and pretty much engulfed the majority of the roof," said neighbor John Romanelli.
Video from Skyeye shows the fire tearing through the roof of the home above the garage. The chief says the home's hilly location created some challenges.
"Because of the nature it got up into the roof so it took us a little while to get there it's a little tough with the grade," said Westwood Fire Chief John Deckers.
Parts of the home collapsed making it dangerous to fight.
"We did pull the firefighters out until we could deem that the building was safe to occupy again," Deckers said.
A dog was pulled from the home and is OK, a cat is still missing.
The chief says they were on scene within minutes thanks to a neighbor or someone passing by who called 911 allowing them to quickly locate the man inside.
"I would say within the first five minutes of the operation he was found and removed from the building," Deckers said.
The victim's identity is not being released until his family is notified. The exact cause of the fire is being investigated by the State Fire Marshal's office.