Woman Killed in South L.A. Blaze : Fire: A courageous neighbor pulls the victim’s father from the burning home.

An 18-year-old woman died in a South Los Angeles house fire Tuesday, but a neighbor managed to save her father, authorities said.

Marci Chamberlain died as flames quickly engulfed the single-family residence in the 700 block of West 104th Place at 3 p.m., despite the neighbor’s frantic attempts to find a way inside to save her.

Melvin Hilliard, 51, pulled Chamberlain’s father outside after punching through living room window glass with his bare hands.

“I saw the father inside trying to knock the window out,” said Hilliard, a body and fender repairman. “I got so hysterical that I punched the window with my fist and yanked him out.”

Hilliard said he then began punching out every window in the house in an effort to find the man’s daughter.

“I screamed, ‘Marci, answer me! Please answer me!’ ” Hilliard said, cradling his bleeding hands. “I tried to go in and get her, but the fire ran me away.”

The father, Cravessie Chamberlain, was treated at the scene by paramedics for minor cuts and bruises on his hands and for smoke inhalation before being taken to a hospital.

Battalion Chief Dennis Keane said the Fire Department received an alarm at 3:03 p.m. and was able to knock down the fire a few minutes after 15 firefighters arrived moments later.

Keane said the woman’s body was found in a front room of the house.

As for Hilliard, who suffered minor injuries, Keane said: “He did a good job, much more than we can expect from the average person. He’s a courageous man.”

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

The home was equipped with working smoke alarms and did not have security bars, Fire Department spokesman Greg Acevedo said. Damage was estimated at $150,000, he added.