An early morning house fire on W. 98th St, claimed the life of one man, according to EMS officials.
Cleveland Fire said the blaze broke out in a kitchen on the third floor of the multi-family home around 1:45 a.m. A chief with the department told News 5 the man trapped on the third floor was unconscious when crews arrived on the scene and pulled him from the fire.
Eight people and four dogs were on the bottom two floors of the house when the fire broke out.
Jerry Carpenter, who lives on the first floor, said he and another tenant from the second floor tried to break down the door to the third-floor apartment but the smoke was too heavy.
"As soon as you walked up the staircase and you hit the second staircase it was just all black. I couldn't see anything," Carpenter said. "I was screaming and yelling for Chris, but I got no response."
Carpenter said the man who died was in his 30s and had lived at the home for about seven years.
Cleveland Fire said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
