Fire crews find body in burned out Montrose building

HOUSTON

Police and arson investigators are not giving out too many details about the deadly fire on Richmond near Graustark, but eyewitnesses say a former employee came here looking for trouble.

Crime tape blocks off Talk of the Town as investigators look into a deadly fire. Neighbors in Montrose say they're shocked, hearing this adult bookstore could also be a homicide scene.

"Now these fire trucks and dogs sniffing around. I mean it's really surprising," neighbor Andrea Marla said.

And it's surprisingly suspicious, according to arson and homicide detectives.

An eyewitness who didn't want to go on camera says he was one of eight people in the store when the fire broke out. He says he was in an arcade booth when a worker and former employee got into an argument.

The man claims the former employee came to the store with a gun, a gas can and some handcuffs. The man says he heard what sounded like gun shots followed by someone pounding on the arcade doors yelling, "Fire!"

Investigators say they discovered a man's body under some debris after the fire was put out.

"A primary search was conducted, and during the secondary search, they found the body," said Alison Stein with the Houston Fire Department.

It's possible everything was caught on tape. Surveillance cameras surround Talk of the Town.

"Right now, we are making sure we get all of the video tapes and collecting all of the evidence," Stein said.

Investigators are not releasing the name of the victim. They are waiting for the medical examiner's office to determine the cause of death.