SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- A man died and two children were rescued safely following a house fire in Springfield’s Indian Orchard neighborhood Wednesday morning.

Fire crews responded to the two-story house on Essex Street around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters rescued two young children from the backyard and found a man on the second floor.

Crews performed CPR on the man before taking him to Baystate Medical Center, where doctors pronounced him dead.  The Hampden District Attorney’s Office has not released the identity of the victim.  It’s unclear if he was related to the two children, who were not hurt and are now with a relative.

Springfield Fire Commissioner B.J. Calvi said crews found multiple fires inside the house.  “They forced the door and made entry. We found several fires inside the house. Fires were extinguished and then rescue squads started a search for victims,” he explained.

Investigators have not said if the multiple fires are suspicious.  The building is not a total loss, but there is significant internal damage.

Neighbor Aida Ortiz, who lives in a condo up the street from the scene, said she was concerned when she saw first responders swarming the area.  “I was nervous. I was very concerned,” she explained.  “I was afraid because they (the firefighters) said they have kids living in there and people were getting out in ambulances. It was a little mess here.”

Ortiz, who works as a social worker, said she wants to help those affected.  “I’m going to go and ask if they need food.  Anything that they need from other people that were involved,” she said. “I’m a social worker, so I do this all of the time: worrying about people and helping.”

The fire is now under investigation by multiple agencies, including the Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

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