1 Dead, 8 Displaced After West Philly Fire

An overnight fire claimed the life of a man in West Philadelphia.

The fire started on the first floor of a home on the 4900 block of Brown Street. Flames then spread to a neighboring house.

Rescue crews were unable to reach the man in time to save him.

Firefighters say they were met with a lot of combustible material.

"We found everything, you name it – books, I could see bicycles, I mean just general things, a VCR still in the box, things like that," Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said. "It was typical of a person that needed some other city services."

Neighbors of the man feel as though they have lost a family member. This is the second fire death this year.

Two families, eight people in total, were forced from their homes because of the fire. The Red Cross is helping them by providing financial assistance.

The home where the fire started was not equipped with smoke detectors.

Today at 3 p.m., the Red Cross, together with the Philadelphia Fire Department will conduct a fire safety walk through the surrounding neighborhood and pass out a "Home Fire Safety Check List" in the hopes of preventing future fire injuries and deaths.

Anyone who does not have a smoke alarm and cannot afford one should call 311 for help obtaining one.