One dead in Indianapolis west side garage fire - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

A body was discovered inside a burned out garage on the Indianapolis northwest side Monday.

The garage is on North Berwick Avenue off 17th Street, but it's what neighbors heard before they saw the flames that has homicide detectives now checking out the scene.

Neighbor Jeanette Willis says she heard what sounded like a loud "pop" outside her home around 1:00 pm Monday afternoon.

"The neighbor down the street called and said, 'Your garage is on fire.' I said, 'what?'" said  Willis.

It wasn't Willis' garage. It was the one next door, the detached garage of a house on Berwick Avenue destroyed by fire and the reason arson investigators and homicide detectives came.

"Ladder 30 that happened to be on the street and saw heavy black smoke coming from this area," said Capt. Rita Burris, Indianapolis Fire Department. "We do have a deceased individual inside the garage."

"IMPD along with IFD and our homicide detectives will conduct the investigation. At this point in time, we are not sure what occurred or what started the fire but they will be working together to determine that," said Officer Anthony Schneider, Indianapolis Metro Police.

The next door neighbor tells Eyewitness news before she saw the flames she heard arguing followed by the breaking of glass from a car window parked in front of the home.

"The kids came running to me. They always do. And they said their Dad was in there. I said, 'Are you sure?' And they said yes. The mother and everyone was very distraught," said Willis. "They saw him go into the garage. And then everything exploded."

Family friend Evelyn Earl says she came to the home to be there for the family's children as well.

"I was trying to come to see if I could help the oldest daughter. That's the one I am especially closest to," said Earl.

The husband and wife who lived in the home had several children, some of whom were at home at the time. None of them were hurt.