Two weeks ago a house was destroyed in Oklahoma. On Monday, a man's body was recovered in the ruins.
The local sheriff told local reporters he wouldn't be surprised if it happened again.
When asked if he thought it was acceptable to assume a home involved in a fire is vacant, Sequoyah County Sheriff Ron Lockhart told 4029TV reporters: "I'm sure it's not the first time that it's happened, and I'm sure it's not going to be the last."
The Gans fire chief added: "When we got here the home was totally engulfed, and we did what we could do. We're a volunteer fire department. There are things that might have been overlooked, but we did the best we could at the time." said the fire chief.
Neighbors told police said a friend had been drinking and hanging around the home the night it caught fire.
The body was taken to the state medical examiner's office for identification.