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Firefighters discovered a body burned ‘beyond recognition’ after Eastwick garage fire

Fire marshals are working with police to determine the cause of the fire.

First responders discovered a dead body while responding to a garage fire in the Eastwick section of southwest Philadelphia early Thursday morning.

Philadelphia police and firefighters responded to a call about a garage fire on the 7600 block of Este Avenue around 1:30 a.m, where they found that flames had fully engulfed the end unit of several detached garages, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Fire Department said.

Crews spent about 20 minutes fighting the fire before containing the blaze just after 1:50 a.m, the spokesperson said. Minutes later, first responders found a body burnt “beyond recognition” near the garage door, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters.

Because of the damage to the body, Small said, officers could not determine the age or sex of the person. Fire marshals are working with police to determine the cause of the fire, and whether it may have been arson.