NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The victim in Sunday's fatal fire in Newport News has been identified as 64-year-old Kenneth Vines.
Newport News Chief Deputy Fire Marshal John Applewhite, said this is the first fatal house fire the city has had in more than a year.
Just before 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, fire crews were called out to Hampton Avenue for a house fire.
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Two people were able to get out of the home, but Vines was trapped on the second floor.
"I really thought it was a nightmare," Renee Young, a neighbor, said."When I opened that window up and saw the blaze coming out of the roof it was just surreal."
Young, who lives next door, said she couldn't believe what was going on.
Fire officials told News 3's John Hood, that when crews went inside they found the staircase had collapsed and needed to use ladders to get to Vines.
Once upstairs, firefighters were able to get Vines out of the home, but he later died.
"I'm very sorry about Mr. Kenny it was terrifying, it was awful to even hear it," Young said.
A family member of Vines said the 64-year-old and his wife were asleep when his wife heard the smoke alarm go off.
She woke Vines up, and he tried to walk out.
While the wife tried crawling out, Vines passed out.
The family member said the wife tried dragging Vines, but she couldn't.
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"Nice people, the owners would do anything for you, good people, and I'm going to miss him," Young said.
While a cause is still under investigation, Applewhite said it does appear to be accidental.
Within a day and a half the home was taken down due to it being a hazard.
"As we evaluated the structure, we determined the structure had started to lean, floors had collapsed, and walls in the back were bulged out," Applewhite said. "All of these things taken into totality made it an unsafe structure which needed to come down pretty immediately in the essence of public safety."
Without a home and insurance, a family member has created a gofundme page and is asking for the community's help.
"It just feels empty, it feels really empty and we're going to miss him," Young said.
The Newport News Fire Department is reminding everyone that smoke alarms and home escape plans save lives.
The Department offers free smoke alarms and installation to Newport News residents.
You can request an alarm by clicking here.
