Levittown man, 29, dies in house fire; grandfather, 87, rescued

A 29-year-old mentally challenged Levittown man died early Monday in a fire that quickly swept through his two-story house. The victim's elderly grandfather was rescued by a neighbor.

David McCardle's body was found in the bathtub in the second-floor bathroom, said Levittown Fire Company No. 1 Chief Rich Vanschaick. The stairs to the second floor were gone when firefighters arrived minutes after receiving the 1:30 a.m. call, he said.

Jack McCardle, 87, was listed in critical condition in Temple University Hospital at midday Monday. A hospital spokesman could not provide information about his injuries.

Jack McCardle was saved from the burning, smoke-filled house on Everturn Lane in Falls Township by Eric Watkins, who lives across the street.

"I heard a popping noise like firecrackers, woke up, put on shoes, and called 911," Watkins said hours after the blaze. "The right side of the house was in flames."

Knowing the McCardles did not use the front door of their yellow, asbestos-tiled house, Watkins ran to the door to the screened-in porch, he said.

"I couldn't see Jack" because of the thick black smoke, Watkins said. "I just could hear him.

"All he said was, 'David's upstairs.' "

Watkins picked up the elderly man and carried him out of the house and across the street, where another neighbor, Ray McGrath, helped carry him into Watkins' house.

"He was black" from the smoke, Watkins said.

The two neighbors quickly returned to the burning house, "but there was nothing else we could do," McGrath said. The first firefighters had arrived to find flames shooting out of every window and door, "and we asked, 'Where is David?' " McGrath said. "Now we know where he was."

Firefighters placed a ladder where the stairs had been and found David McCardle in the bathtub, the fire chief said.

"The bathtub is one of the safest places to be in a fire," said Hailey Allard, 14, Watkins' stepdaughter.

She and other neighborhood children were collecting money for flowers for David McCardle's funeral and for clothes for Jack McCardle.

Jack McCardle is an original homeowner in the Levittown development, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

David McCardle was born and raised in the house, and took care of his grandfather, neighbors said.

"He was able to do everything," Watkins said. "I don't think he could hold a job."

David McCardle would play with the neighborhood children in the summer, Allard said, and would walk to the nearby Bucks County Library. He enjoyed playing computer games and going on Facebook, she said.

The fire started in overloaded electrical outlets in a first-floor television and computer room, Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito told Philly.com.

To see a video from the aftermath of the Falls Township fire, go to www.philly.com/bucksfireEndText

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