Bedford Man Killed In House Fire

BEDFORD (CBS) -- Smoke and flames prove to be too much for a 69-year-old man who died in a house fire in Bedford early Friday morning.

Authorities say the man died trying to escape.

The fire damage to the house on North Street is visible from the first floor to the roof, just as the smoke was when firefighters arrived.

"When they first got there engine and ladder noticed smoke. There was snow in the way. They made a quick search and found victim right away," said Bedford Fire Chief David Grunes.

The 69-year old resident was found on the stairs leading down to the ground floor.

WBZ-TV's Peg Rusconi reports.

Chief Grunes said no one else was in the house. A passerby who saw the smoke called 911.

As investigators searched for clues to how the fire started, people at the store across the street mourned the loss of the neighbor who often plowed their lot.

There is a report of trouble with the heat at the house in the last couple of days, but the state fire marshal's office says it's unclear if that was a factor in the fire.

Officials say there is no reason to believe the fire was suspicious.