NEW ORLEANS — On most days, Vanessa Alba describes her block in the Lower Ninth Ward as quiet.
“We were just kind of in shock,” Lower Ninth Ward resident Vanessa Alba said. “How did it happen and why did it happen?
On Monday morning, she woke up to a loud pop.
“We look out the window, and his house is up in flames,” Alba said.
Her next-door neighbor’s two-story home was engulfed in flames.
“We were just waiting around to see if he was in there,” Alba said.
Authorities say they received a call about heavy smoke near Galvez Street and Fats Domino Blvd. around 5:30 a.m., but an orange glow led them to 2606 Gordon Street.
“Our guys did an excellent job of getting out pretty quick,” New Orleans Fire Department Chief PIO Edwin Holmes said.
After several hours of searching, they found one man dead near the home’s entrance.
“Anytime there is a loss of life, it’s extremely difficult, because your ultimate goal is preservation of life,” Holmes said.
As of Monday afternoon, authorities have not identified the man as the homeowner, but his car was parked outside, and Alba says he lives alone and rarely leaves the house.
“He was just a quiet guy, just into his garden, had beautiful plants. He knew a lot about plants and had his dogs,” Alba said.
According to officers, one of his dogs ran out of the home, one was rescued by NOFD, and another was found dead near the home.
“It had been going for a while by the time we got there,” Holmes said.
Alba says her thoughts are with his family.
“It’s a shame because he was so proud of it. His kitchen was gorgeous, and everything was beautiful. Now, just seeing it, I get goosebumps,” Alba said.
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