Hoarding conditions hindered firefighters battling a deadly blaze at a Montgomery County home Thursday morning.
A neighbor called 911 after seeing flames coming from the home on Garfield Avenue in Abington Township shortly before 2 a.m.
Firefighters found the home fully engulfed with flames shooting through the roof and battled back the fire so they could enter the home but had trouble getting to the only resident -- a 69-year-old man -- who was found on the living room floor.
“Because of conditions in the house, hoarding conditions, it became difficult to get him out of the house but they were able to do so and unfortunately it was determined – shortly after he was removed from the residence – that he had passed,” Abington Township Fire Marshal Kenneth Clark said.
Dispatchers warned firefighters of the noted hoarding situation at the home prior to their arrival.
The cause of the blaze, which began in a rear bedroom and left the home badly damaged, remained under investigation Thursday morning. Fire officials don't consider the blaze suspicious.
