A 68-year-old White Marsh man was killed in a one-alarm fire at his home yesterday morning despite a neighbor's rescue efforts.

About 50 Baltimore County firefighters were called to the 11200 block of Bird River Grove Road about 3:50 a.m. after neighbors reported the fire, said Capt. Glenn Blackwell, a Fire Department spokesman.

Blackwell said flames were shooting from most of the windows and the roof of the two-story house when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters found the victim, Thomas N. Hayes, a short time later. Hayes was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The intensity of the heat was amazing," said Celeste Weaver, 45, a neighbor. "It was so bright that I thought my house was on fire."

Weaver said another neighbor tried to rescue Hayes but was turned back by intense heat and smoke. "Nobody would have lived through what I saw," Weaver said.

Hayes' body was on the first floor, but Blackwell said he might have fallen from his second-floor bedroom when part of the house collapsed.

Investigators are trying to determine what started the fire and whether the house had a smoke detector. The house, on the bank of the Bird River, was destroyed, Blackwell said.

Weaver said Hayes lived alone and rarely ventured outside.