An Owensboro man's found dead in his burning home Thursday night in the 700 block of Jed Place.
Authorities say fire crews discovered the body of 62-year-old Raymond Chapman.
"I miss that white head over there bobbing around. Always, always busy," neighbor John Davis said of Chapman
Neighbors on Jed Place have nothing but good words about Chapman.
"He was just a good friend," Davis said.
Davis has lived in the neighborhood for 57 years and says he never thought the loud noise he and others heard from their homes Thursday night would turn out to be a fire.
"So, I came to the back door and noticed people moving around out here. When I opened the door, the lady across the street was screaming and hollering," Davis told 14 News.
Battalion Chief Steve Leonard says when crews arrived on scene, flames had taken over the home.
"Smoke and fire was pushing out every window upon arrival crews made a quick knockdown of the fire," Chief Leonard said.
But with such an intense fire, Leonard says saving Chapman was impossible.
"When you have a structure fire, when you have heavy smoke and fire issuing from every opening, you have temperatures 1,000-1,500 degrees inside, there's no way anyone inside could escape that," Chief Leonard noted.
Investigators believe the fire started in the back bedroom where crews found Chapman, but at this point they're not sure on the fire's exact cause.
"It's always shocking when something like that happens, you just never expect it," said Davis.
The coroner says Chapman died of smoke inhalation.
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