Man dead after fire rips through home in Mission Hills, LAFD says

MISSION HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- One person was found dead after a fire ripped through a home in Mission Hills early Wednesday morning.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire was reported around 3 a.m. at the residential duplex on North Noble Avenue. After firefighters extinguished the intense flames that engulfed the building they discovered a man dead inside.

The brother of the man who died identified him as 60-year-old David Vidal. Guadalupe Vidal told Eyewitness News his brother initially made it out of the home but went back inside to possibly grab his belongings.

Guadalupe says his brother lived in the home for 15 years.

"Really funny guy... always happy, always happy," he said of his brother.

Authorities say three other people who lived inside the two-unit home managed to escape the flames.

The department says the 72-year-old structure was not equipped with smoke alarms, which are required by law. The home is now red-tagged.

A cause of the fire has not been determined, but officials said it did not appear to be arson.