Homicide Detectives Investigate Body Found In Burning Home

DENVER (CBS4) - A body was found inside a burning home in Denver and homicide detectives have been brought in to gather evidence.

The body was found in a vacant duplex at 24th and Bryant Street. Denver police are calling it a suspicious death investigation, but aren't calling it a homicide until they get confirmation from the coroner.

Denver fire crews got the call around 9 p.m. Tuesday. When they arrived, heavy smoke and flames were pouring out of the house. It took firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire. When they got inside they found a man's body in the stairwell.

Investigators are calling the man's death suspicious because the building was vacant.

"It very may well be a homicide; we have to answer a lot of questions before we deem it that," Sonny Jackson with Denver police said. "We need to find out, did somebody else take this man's life? Or did he die in the fire? Or was it some other cause?"

Denver fire and police are working together on the ongoing investigation.