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2 found dead in house fire; authorities investigating as homicide

Posted at 9:48 AM, Dec 14, 2012
and last updated 2012-12-14 23:54:58-05

GRANITE, Utah -- Two people were found dead in a house fire Friday morning in an unincorporated community of Salt Lake County.

The fire broke out at approximately 8:30 a.m. at 2811 E. Ksel Drive (9450 South).

"Firefighters began to fight this fire and found two individuals deceased inside the home," said Lt. Justin Hoyal, Unified Police Department. "Right now we have our detectives that are on scene and are investigating this case. We believe it is suspicious and we are treating it as a homicide."

Lt. Hoyal said the individuals are an adult man and woman. They are still working to identify them and said it could be several days.

Some neighbors believe one of the victims was Ralph Salazer, a 59-year-old contractor who moved in and remodeled the home nearly a decade ago.

Authorities did not have prior history responding to incidents at the home, expect for a burglary in 2009, according to Lt. Hoyal.

The cause of the fire is also under investigation. Neighbors reported a strong smell of an accelerant, such as gasoline.

"Right now there's still a lot of unanswered questions, detectives are working really hard to put the case together and get those questions answered," Lt. Hoyal said.