A man was found dead early Friday in a boarding house fire in northwest Atlanta that officials believe was accidental.
More than a dozen people were displaced by the fire, which started just after 3:30 a.m. in the 800 block of Neal Street, officials said.
“We have our own investigators on scene,” Atlanta fire battalion chief Derek Harris told Channel 2 Action News. “They’ll do a thorough investigation, and then we’ll go from there.”
The victim’s body was removed from the home just after 6 a.m.
Fire officials believe the blaze started in the bedroom where the man, in his late 50s, was found on the floor. It was one of six rooms in the house, and there were no working smoke detectors.
Neighbor LaQuanta Johnson told Channel 2 she was sleep when she heard someone banging on the door screaming there was a fire.
She said she and other neighbors kicked the door in, but were trying to get residents in wheelchairs out first.
Firefighters found the man while extinguishing the blaze.
Workers with the American Red Cross of Georgia helped 14 people displaced by the fire access lodging, food and other necessities, Red Cross spokeswoman Divina Mims-Puckett said.
No other details were released.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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