Retired Marine and Purple Heart recipient identified as victim in deadly Lansdale, Pennsylvania house fire

Family members have identified the man killed in a fast-moving house fire that tore through four homes in Lansdale, Pennsylvania early Friday as John Garchinsky, a retired Marine and Purple Heart recipient.

The fire broke out on the 800 block of Andover Road shortly after 6 a.m., quickly spreading to four homes. 

Emergency responders were called to the scene with reports of people trapped inside.

The fire was brought under control in about 90 minutes. While at least three other families escaped the flames, Garchinsky did not make it out.

CBS News Philadelphia spoke with Garchinsky's sister, who said he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and received the Purple Heart after being injured in Lebanon during the 1980s.

Neighbors watched in horror as flames engulfed the homes.

"Just flames shooting out all the windows. You hear everything, the windows blowing out. It was bad," neighbor Harry Werner said.

Hours later, displaced families gathered across the street from the charred remains of their homes, mourning both the destruction and the loss of a neighbor many described as kind and selfless.

"He'd walk up and down here with his dogs. He talked to everyone. The kids loved him," Werner said.

Ruth Jones, another neighbor, remembered Garchinsky as "a war veteran, an animal lover and a great guy."

"I just can't believe it," Werner added. "I really can't. I just wish it wasn't him. I wish everybody got out."

Residents of four homes have been displaced and are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.