PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A fire inside a North Philadelphia high-rise early Wednesday morning claimed the life of an elderly man.

The blaze started in a seventh floor apartment of the Ascension Manor high-rise apartment complex in the 900 block of N. 7th Street.

When firefighters arrived, they encountered light smoke in the hallways and tracked the fire to the one unit where the victim was found.

The victim, a man in his 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The fire was placed under control in approximately 45 minutes.

The identity of the victim was not immediately known. The cause of the fatal fire remains under investigation.

Reported by Al Novack, KYW Newsradio

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