BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) – Law enforcement officials say a body was found in a condemned house that burned in southwestern Illinois.
The Belleville News-Democrat reports that investigators were trying to determine the identity of the body. Firefighters say it appears to be an adult male but it was significantly burned.
Deputy fire Chief Bud Jacobs says firefighters arrived on the scene one minute after the fire was reported at 6:20 a.m. Saturday. He says heavy flames were coming out of the house but the fire was under control within 15 minutes.
Neighbors told firefighters they’d seen homeless people around the home recently.
Tammi Jacks lives across the street from the house. She says placards declaring the property uninhabitable went up about four months ago. She says three people lived there previously.