INDIANAPOLIS -- One man is dead after a fire on Indianapolis' west side early Sunday morning.
Firefighters were called to the duplex on Rochester Avenue around 4 a.m. When they arrived on the scene smoke and flames were already visible from outside the home.
Indianapolis Fire Department Chief Rita Reith said one man died in the fire. His name has not been released.
The man who lived in the other side of the duplex, Gerald Monfreda, 70, was able to get out of his home safely.
Reith said the fire caused over $60,000 in damage to the home. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Call 6 Investigates has learned that police are looking into a possible connection between the fire and a stabbing that happened not far from the scene.
The fire marked a busy night for the Indianapolis Fire Department. Over a 24-hour period, crews responded to nine fires. As a result, 26 people including Monfreda have been displaced. At least four firefighters were also injured.
The Indianapolis Fire Department is urging people to be safe and take extra precautions over the Fourth of July Holiday weekend.
Right now the fire trucks and engines have left the scene and investigators are beginning to move inside to determine what caused the fire. pic.twitter.com/HGVmo1Qctg
— Nicole Griffin-RTV6 (@NicoleGriffinTV) July 2, 2017
