1 killed in Sunland 'Halloween House' fire

SUNLAND, Calif. (KABC) -- It took nearly three dozen firefighters about 20 minutes to put out an early morning fire in Sunland Friday.

When crews arrived, the front part of a home was fully engulfed in flames. The 52-year-old man who lived in the home died.

"I heard the fire engines and they stop and it's got to be really close. As I looked off my patio, I saw the flames and the smoke so I was getting ready to leave for the gym. I came over...and that's when I saw and realized that it was this house. When I heard the gentleman lost his life...it's just so sad," Richard Hunt said.

The man's partner, according to Los Angeles Fire officials, woke up after smelling smoke and called 911. She was treated for minor smoke inhalation.

Neighbors said the home was known as the Halloween House. The couple would go all out in decorating the residence for the holiday - even parking a hearse in the driveway.

In the burned out garage, some of those Halloween props used for the front yard were visible.

"They went all out every Halloween. Everyone would come from all over the place. They really enjoyed the festivities of Halloween. It was a spectacle," Jarrett Scott said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.