A late-morning fire claimed the life of a man inside his Fox Chase home on Aug. 17, authorities say.
The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Michael Langanella, 34, of the 800 block of Emerson St. He died of smoke inhalation. The death was ruled accidental.
Fire department officials are investigating the cause of the blaze, which broke out shortly after 10 a.m. inside Langanella’s single-story, 1,200-square-foot home.
Firefighters arrived within three minutes of the emergency call and initially saw medium smoke conditions on the ground floor, said Capt. William Dixon, a fire department spokesman.
Eleven fire trucks and 40 firefighters responded to the blaze and effectively prevented the flames from spreading throughout the house. The fire was declared under control at 10:27 p.m., 15 minutes after the initial call. No firefighters were injured, Dixon said.
Firefighters reportedly found Langanella unresponsive inside a bedroom. The fire department has not released information about any additional occupants of the house. ••
