Ipswich fire victim was a 'beautiful soul'

Neighbours who desperately tried to save a 70-year-old man from his burning Queensland home have described him as a "beautiful soul".

The man, reportedly a war veteran, lived alone in the house in the Ipswich suburb of One Mile, in the state's southeast. The house went up in flames around 2am on Thursday.

Neighbours ran to try and save him but were unable to get inside.

The low set brick home on Battersby Street was well alight and the roof already collapsed when fire crews arrived.

It took firefighters 30 minutes to get the blaze under control.

The man's death has devastated those living in the close-knit cul-de-sac.

"He was a beautiful man, he didn't deserve this," neighbour Deb Bainbridge told the Nine Network.

"We were very good friends, he'd come over for Christmas and we'd talk over the fence all the time."

Fire investigators remain at the house, which has been declared a crime scene.