Man dies in Seven Hills house fire

SEVEN HILLS, Ohio (WOIO) - An elderly man died in a house fire in Seven Hills Thursday evening.

According to the Seven Hills Fire Department, crews responded to a home on East Ridgewood around 10 p.m. Thursday.

Chris Helton, the pastor of St. Peter United Church of Christ, lives across the street near the church.

“He was a quiet guy, mostly kept to himself. He was a good neighbor,” said Helton.

Helton was bringing the trash out when he noticed flames from his neighbor’s home.

”I dropped the can and ran across the street. Went to the door and started banging on it and yelling. I got no response from the house,“ he explained.

“A neighbor came out at that point and went around the house trying to bang on the other door,” said Helton. “I stopped yelling and called 911 when the front window broke right beside me from the fire. Police and fire department got there quickly.”

Firefighters were met with heavy fire conditions throughout the home, according to a post on Facebook.

As crews worked to put out the fire and search the home, they found an elderly man lying inside the home, according to firefighters.

Crews rendered first aid, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was not released.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Ohio State Fire Marshal.

Seven Hills firefighter shared their thoughts and prayers for the man and his family in the Facebook post.

Parma, Broadview Heights, Independence and Brooklyn Heights fire departments responded to the house fire.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.