Autopsy Scheduled for Man Found Dead in Burning Leucadia Home

An autopsy is scheduled Monday for the body of a man found dead inside a burned house in Leucadia over the weekend.

Firefighters putting out a house fire in the 200 block of East Jason Street found the man dead inside the residence Sunday morning, a fire official said.

Fire crews were dispatched to the area at 7:26 a.m. to check on reports of smoke, said Deputy Chief Scott Henry. At first they found no signs of a fire, then were directed by residents to the Jason Street address where they saw smoke coming from the back yard, Henry said.

When firefighters entered the back yard they discovered smoke coming from a pet door on the house, felt that the door was hot and upgraded the incident to a structure fire response at 7:37 a.m., Henry said. Crews forced their way into the house and found parts of the living room on fire and discovered the body at 7:45 a.m. The fire was extinguished by 7:56 a.m.

Sheriff's deputies are investigating the death, and the cause of the fire has not been determined, Henry said. The Sheriff's Department said that investigators do not suspect foul play.

The name of the victim has not yet been released.