ENGLEWOOD — Authorities responding to calls of a fire at an Englewood apartment building Tuesday arrived to find a man's body under a burning porch.
Firefighters arrived shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday to the apartment building in the 6200 block of South Honore Street when they found a rear, wooden porch on fire, said Larry Langford, Fire Department spokesman.
The fire was extinguished and the building was evacuated, Langford said. Firefighters then found a man under the porch. He was pronounced dead on the scene and had been burned in the fire, though officials have not determined the cause of his death, Langford said.
The fire is being considered suspicious and investigators are working to determine its cause, Langford said.
Police had a heavy presence at the scene as they worked to determine who lived in the building. Residents of the building said one man that lived there had not been yet been seen.
Detectives questioned a man who was identified as the son of the man who was found dead under the burning porch. Witnesses said the man tried to get into the crime scene but was thwarted by officers.
"Don't nobody ask me nothing unless you tell me it's my dad," the man yelled before walking away. He declined to talk to reporters.
Minny Rivers, 73, was in her bedroom when she smelled a hint of smoke. Before she could leave, firefighters and police were knocking on her door and screaming for her to get out.
"I seen the smoke and everything," she said. "Next thing I know, they was kicking down the doors, telling us to get out."
She said she heard that a body was found and tried to look back toward the porch, but that smoke and flames had blocked her view.
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