Neighbors identified the victim, believed to be in his mid 70s, as Fred Manalo, who lived alone in the single-story home at 2441 Yvonne Pl.

Bill Rezentes, who has been a neighbor for about 30 years, said he was leaving home at 7:30 a.m. to take his granddaughter to school when he saw smoke billowing from a window at Manalo's house.

"My first thought was to get the kids away from the fire. I told my wife to take them down the street," Rezentes said. "Then, I ran over to Fred's house to try to get him out of there."

He said Rezentes always slept in a "parlor" at the front of the single-story house.

"I got over there and opened the front door hoping I could find him and get him out of there, but the smoke was just too dense to see anything and the heat was intense. It singed my hair," said Rezentes, 72, a retired Hawaiian Electric Co. worker. Paramedics treated Rezentes for a burn to his right forearm injured he believes when he opened the door of the burning house.

"He was a nice man, kind of a quiet man. I used to visit him and talk story," Rezentes said of Manalo. The men had spoken last night, he said, when Manalo called to ask for help.

"He was a diabetic and sometimes had trouble getting up. When I left, though, he was up and walking around."

Manalo's wife died "10 or so years ago," he said. A daughter was supposed to pick him up about 9:30 this morning for a doctor's appointment, Rezentes said.

"All I wanted to do was get him out of there. I know he couldn't do it by himself."

Rezentes said after he was turned back by the flames and heat, he ran back to his own yard, grabbed a garden hose and bean alternately wetting down his roof and doing what little he could to try to keep the fire from spreading through Manalo's house. But the fire had gained too much momentum, he said.

Honolulu Fire Department Capt. David Dela Cruz, whose McCully Engine No. 29 crew was one of eight fire units that responded to the two-alarm blaze, said Rezentes may be a candidate for a commendation for his efforts in trying to rescue Manalo and helping firefighters.

"His assistance was invaluable," Dela Cruz said. "He helped our firefighters drag lines; he pointed out where things were inside the burning house; and, he helped keep the fire from spreading to his house."

Rezentes downplayed the suggestion that he might be honored for his efforts.

"I don't really care about that," he said, waving his hand. "That's nice of them to say, but I just wish I could have saved Fred."

Manalo's dog, a Doberman which was locked in a dog kennel a few feet from the burning house, survived and was picked up by a Hawaiian Humane Society worker as firefighters poked through the rubble looking for hot spots.

Capt. Kenison Tejada said the fire took about 20 minutes to bring under control. No damage estimate or a cause have yet been determined.