A tragic fire claimed a life Friday on Chicago’s Northwest Side, authorities reported.

ABC7 uncovered that the victim, a cherished veteran known in the neighborhood, perished in the apartment blaze. According to the landlord’s husband, fellow tenants made valiant efforts to save him.

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The fire erupted around 2:56 p.m. in a basement apartment along the 3000 block of West George Street, near Logan Square and Avondale, as confirmed by Chicago fire officials.

Police stated that a 75-year-old man was discovered with severe burns and was pronounced dead at the location.

“The tenants on the first floor above the basement detected the smoke,” shared Gabriel Clarito, the landlord’s husband.

The arctic air now carries a tragic loss after the man was found dead in the fire. The flames forced other tenants in the building outside in the frigid cold.

“They saw smoke was coming out of the side window,” Clarito said. “So, they tried to open the door and smoke came out. I think that’s when they called police… They tried to scream out, but there was just so much smoke.”

Clarito says his wife owns the building where the victim, who he says was a veteran, lived alone in the basement unit for years.

Police were also called to the scene to investigate while firefighters braved the coldest temperatures of the season to quickly put out the flames, leaving a hollowed home behind with lingering questions.

“There are so many things to think of, but for someone to pass away on a day like this, it’s hard to say,” Clarito said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Officer has yet to identify the man who died while a cause of the fire remains under investigation.

No further information was immediately available.