PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Authorities are investigating after a body was found inside a burning garage in Southwest Philadelphia.
Police and firefighters responded to calls of a building on fire on Este Avenue, near 77th Street, in Eastwick around 1:20 a.m. Thursday. The blaze engulfed the end unit of a stretch of detached garages.
The building is located across the street from Penrose Elementary School.
Once the fire was extinguished, investigators made a shocking discovery.
“They saw a human body burned beyond recognition right by the garage door,” said Chief Inspector Scott Small. “The body was burned beyond recognition, so they can’t tell if it was a male or a female, nor can they tell the approximate age.”
Fire marshals are working with detectives to investigate how the person died and what started the fire — and whether or not arson was involved.
“They don’t know if it was the fire being burned that caused the death or something suspicious beforehand,” Small added. “We don’t know at this time. We also don’t know the cause or the origin of the fire.”
Officials hope to learn more after the medical examiner conducts an autopsy.