A man was killed Sunday afternoon after he became trapped inside a burning home in Decatur, officials said.

The fire broke out at a home on Knoll Drive shortly before 5 p.m., the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department said in a statement. When crews arrived at the scene, they found heavy smoke and flames burning the back of the home.

Firefighters soon learned that the man was trapped inside the house, officials said. Authorities have not released his name or age.

“Crews had to quickly darken the flames from the outside of the home before making entry,” DeKalb fire said. “Unfortunately the elderly male was not able to survive due to the conditions inside the structure.”

The cause of the fire is not known. The incident is under investigation.

August 30th 4:50 p.m. Units responded to a house fire with reported entrapment on Knoll Dr. E26 arrived on the scene to...

Posted by Dekalb County Fire Rescue Department on Sunday, August 30, 2020

It was one of at least two fires the DeKalb department responded to Sunday. According to the American Red Cross of Georgia, 17 people from 10 families were displaced by a blaze at the Georgetown of Atlanta Condominiums off Colonial Way. Red Cross disaster volunteers are assisting the displaced families, spokeswoman Sherry Nicholson said.

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