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BOARDMAN -- A Boardman man died after being overcome by smoke inside a house fire Tuesday morning.
Fire investigators have not yet released the name of the man in his 60s while they work to notify family, but neighbors remembered him for his "good heart."
Neighbors called 911 around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday after they reported seeing smoke coming from the home at 357 Afton Ave. Upon fire crews' arrival, neighbors told responders they had not seen their neighbor escape the burning house.
Fire Chief Mark Pitzer said crews responded around 7:15 a.m. Boardman firefighters, assisted by an engine from Canfield's Cardinal Joint Fire District, entered the home. They had to extinguish the fire before they found the man lying in a first-floor hallway.
According to the fire chief, the victim sustained some burns and inhaled a considerable amount of smoke.
"He was overcome," Pitzer said. "Our guys made a strong effort to revive him as soon as we got him out into the fresh air."
Firefighters performed CPR until a Lane LifeTrans ambulance arrived to take him to Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Tuesday afternoon nearby residents recalled their neighbor.
Andrea Segool, who lives next door, recalled her neighbor as "a nice guy." Segool said the victim had lived alone and at one point recently was staying with a family member.
"So, I was hoping and praying that he wasn't even home," Segool said.
The man's neighbor across the street, who asked to be identified only as Mary Lou, said he lived in the neighborhood a long time, and she knew him well.
Mary Lou said the man's daughter was in her own daughter's wedding years ago. She said she knew him as a generous person and his family is grief-stricken.
"He had a really good heart, and he will be missed," she said. "He would always help whenever he had time. If he could do it, he would."
Pitzer said the department is awaiting the coroner's report, and the State Fire Marshal is assisting with the investigation.
Pitzer said the bulk of the fire was found in the kitchen, which is "destroyed." He said the fire burned through the kitchen ceiling of the Cape Cod-style home, and into the second floor and attic areas.
Tuesday's fire was the second serious house fire on that block of Afton Avenue this year. In July, a house on the 300 block was severely damaged in what officials labeled an arson.