PHOENIX - Phoenix fire officials said an 80-year-old man was found dead inside a north Phoenix house that caught fire Friday afternoon.
The house, which police said had hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside, is near 11th Place and Desert Cove.
Ardell Deliz of the Phoenix Fire Department told 12 News Friday that calls came from neighbors after the fire started and they heard a "series of explosions" come from the home.
Neighbors said the man who was killed in the fire was a gun dealer.
Frank Albright, a neighbor who knew the victim, said he was in his home when he heard "loud explosions" and saw a "big black cloud of smoke" obstructing the home.
Deliz told 12 News Friday that the rest of the family was clear of the home and the scene was made safe by firefighters.
"It does make our jobs harder when ammunition is going off and we're trying to protect ourselves from that ammo," Deliz said.
Multiple fire crews were called to the scene.
When they got inside, they found the man dead with burn injuries to his body.
Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the fire and whether or not it happened while the man was reloading ammunition.
