He had just gone outside to feed his dogs when Frederick Martin heard cries for help coming from outside a neighbor's house in the 2000 block of Belair Road.
"The girl that lives here came out and was screaming that her son was still in the house," said Martin.
At the time, the woman had no idea someone had already helped her four-year-old son escape out the back door, but another unidentified man who shared the home, remained upstairs as Martin attempted to break down the front door with a pick ax.
"They couldn't get to him, because like I said it was so much smoke and so much fire that was down here that you couldn't get upstairs,” said Martin, “So he was up in the front room and they found him in the front room. Fire was just everywhere. It was gushing out everywhere."
On this day, Sherell Evans tried to hold back tears as she surveyed what was left of the home.
When she learned about the fire, she immediately drove towards the house to check on her friend, and even a call from the family confirming the worst couldn't stop her.
"So I just couldn't turn around,” said Evans, “I just had to come see for myself."
Even in her grief, Evans described a man who had greatly impacted her life.
"He was one of the nicest, most kind, soft-hearted, soft spoken people I've ever met in my life and it's just heart-breaking to see the house in this condition," said Evans.
It's heart-breaking for Frederick Martin as well---a man who set out to save a life, but came up short as the fire burned out of control.
"The fire, by the wind blowing, the fire was coming out and the fire was right in our face. You could feel the heat,” recounted Martin, “My face was like... I had to turn away, because there was so much fire from the heat."
Investigators are withholding the victim's name until all of his family members can be notified of his death.
According to the fire department, that makes 25 people who have perished in fires in Baltimore City this year.
