Man dies after running back inside burning Mission Hills home to retrieve personal belongings

A man died after he ran back inside a burning home in Mission Hills early Wednesday morning.

The fire started inside a one-story duplex located at 10803 N. Noble Ave. and Chatsworth Street, near the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway, around 3 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

All four residents made it out of the burning home safely, before the victim ran back inside to try and grab some of his personal belongings. Authorities said the flames grew quickly and he never made it back out.

Firefighters found the victim inside and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Family members have identified the victim as 60-year-old David Vidal, who lived at the home with a male friend. They say that he worked as a house painter with his brother and sent money back home to his wife and children, who live in Mexico. 

"I have no mind for nothing right now," said Lupe Vidal, the victim's brother. 

"I was in shock, got the chills, started crying," said Vidal's niece, Jocelyn. She says she's trying to stay strong for her dad, Vidal's brother, who is struggling to come to terms with the loss. "It hurts a lot."

"it's really heart-breaking cause he's really close to my dad, and he's the only brother he has here in America," Jocelyn said. 

They're unsure what prompted him to run back into the home. 

It took 32 firefighters 22 minutes to put out the flames. Three occupants of the home, a duplex, were not injured in the fire.     

"It appears that there were no working fire alarms inside the home," said LAFD's David Ortiz.