Police today remained at the scene of a fierce house blaze which left one man dead and gutted a property in Bootle .
Emergency services were called to Antonio Street shortly before 6pm on Wednesday after reports of smoke coming from a two storey building.
Fire crews arrived within four minutes and attempted to bring the fire under control.
A 67-year-old man was pronounced dead following the blaze.
Today a neighbour described how two men entered the smoke-filled property to see if there was anyone inside.
Helen Barclay, who lives nearby, said: “The house was engulfed in smoke very quickly.
“I heard two men went into the house to see if there was anyone there, but there was too much smoke to see.
“I came out along with all the other neighbours to see what was going on.
“You could see the flames in the top window.”
Little is known of the people who lived at the property.
“We never saw anyone come out or go in,” said one resident.
“It’s terribly sad.”
The fire caused severe damage to the terraced property, with the roof beams and bare brickwork exposed in the front upper room.
It remained cordoned off and various debris was scattered along the pavement outside.
Merseyside Police confirmed that the force and Merseyside Fire and Rescue had launched a joint investigation into the cause of the fire.
