NORWICH, Conn. (WTNH) – A man died Tuesday morning in an apartment fire on Central Avenue in Norwich.

Firefighters responded around 7:45 a.m. after Harrison Faison, the owner of Platinum Cuts Barber next door, and the couple who lived on the first floor called 911.

“Disbelief. I just can’t believe this happened,” Faison said.

Norwich Fire Battalion Chief Michael Dziavit said crews searched the second-floor apartment and found a man dead in the back bedroom.

“The person was found in the rear bedroom, and like I said, crews made an aggressive push to locate anybody in the building, and unfortunately, it was evident the person had deceased,” Dziavit said.

“If you see the smoke coming out, I can hear him screaming, and that’s basically all that could be done at that point,” said Faison, who believes he heard someone yelling, “Get me out of here. Get me out of here. Get me out of here.”

Authorities have not yet released the man’s name. The battalion chief said there were reports of other people trapped in the apartment, but no one else was found.

“The first floor just suffered some water damage, but the second floor has significant fire and smoke damage,” Dziavit said.

The state fire marshal is assisting the Norwich fire marshal in the investigation. Norwich police have also applied for a search warrant to look at everything inside this apartment. At this point, they do not believe the fire is suspicious.

Faison said everyone in the area is friendly, and they consider themselves neighbors.

“It is sad, especially when you know it’s somebody that… I mean, I cut his hair a few times,” Faison said. “It’s just hard. It’s hard.”