TEMPE, AZ — Fire officials say Monday's deadly house fire in Tempe was not accidental.
At a news briefing Friday morning, Tempe Fire officials said when crews responded to the house fire near Southern Avenue and Priest Drive, they found the home fully engulfed in flames.
Once the flames were out, the bodies of two women were found inside.
Neighbors reported hearing sounds of an explosion however, through the investigation, authorities were able to rule out natural gas as a cause.
A police K9, trained to detect accelerants, was used to determine the source of the explosion and did detect accelerants.
Officials believe an explosion occurred when an ignition source came into contact with the accelerant. Those substances have been sent to a lab for further investigation and the exact accelerant used remains unknown.
With this new information, investigators have ruled the cause as non-accidental.
This is believed to be an isolated incident, fire officials said. They do not believe any suspects are outstanding.
The Medical Examiner's Office is working to confirm the identities of the two victims found inside the home.
