75-year-old man killed in fire on Northwest Side, officials say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A person was killed in a fire Friday on the city's Northwest Side, officials said.

ABC7 learned the man who died in the apartment fire was a beloved veteran here on the street, and the landlord's husband described how other tenants in the building tried to save his life.

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The fire broke out around 2:56 p.m. at a basement residence in the 3000 block of West George Street near Logan Square and Avondale, Chicago fire officials said.

A 75-year-old man was found with burns to his body, Chicago police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The tenants that's on the first-floor above the basement... They smelled it. There was some smoke," said Gabriel Clarito the landlord's husband.

The arctic air now carries a tragic loss after the man was found dead in the fire. The flames forced other tenants in the building outside in the frigid cold.

"They saw smoke was coming out of the side window," Clarito said. "So, they tried to open the door and smoke came out. I think that's when they called police... They tried to scream out, but there was just so much smoke."

Clarito says his wife owns the building where the victim, who he says was a veteran, lived alone in the basement unit for years.

Police were also called to the scene to investigate while firefighters braved the coldest temperatures of the season to quickly put out the flames, leaving a hollowed home behind with lingering questions.

"There are so many things to think of, but for someone to pass away on a day like this, it's hard to say," Clarito said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Officer has yet to identify the man who died while a cause of the fire remains under investigation.

No further information was immediately available.