A fire killed one person and destroyed a home in Skyline Thursday evening.
The fire sparked in a home's garage in the 7100 Viewcrest Drive at about 5:45 p.m., where a man in his 20s lived with his mother, according to witnesses.
The fire soon moved to the rest of the house, scorching everything in his path.
Firefighters have not yet identified the person killed, but neighbors say the man was trapped inside the garage by smoke, flames, clutter and two cars, even though the door was open.
"It almost looked like the house was melting, just stuff was just coming down," said neighbor Temo Vazquez.
He stopped to help the victim's mother and a young girl coming out the front door. The woman told him her son was inside, on fire.
"We tried to help, but the flames just got hotter and hotter and worse and worse," Vazquez said. "I couldn't go in the garage."
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Family members soon flocked to the scene, so distraught that they needed each other's support to stand.
Without a water line or backup, firefighters braved the burning home. They managed to find the victim and pull him out, but he could not be saved.
According to neighbors, the family had rented the home for the last two years.
Fire investigators have not identified the cause, but they say the damage is about $250,000.
