Man found dead in building hours after it was on fire in Southwest Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- The family of a man who was found dead Sunday morning inside a building that caught fire Saturday night said they are devastated, according to authorities.

Officers found 46-year-old James Craig Jr. in the 2500 block of West Lexington around 11:50 a.m. on Sunday morning, police said.

He was inside the building that housed his business, which had burned the night before, according to family members.

Craig's father, James Craig, Sr., said his son was there when firefighters arrived to battle the flames on Saturday night.

They responded to a report of a burning building in Southwest Baltimore around 11:30 p.m., according to authorities.

A spokesperson for the Baltimore City Fire Department said that first responders believed the building was empty, so they found the fire from the outside.

The following day, first responders found him on the second floor of the building. 

"This is the worst pain that I've ever experienced in my entire life," Craig Sr. said. "This thing carried me to the ground."    

Several family members were at the site of the fire all day. 

Craig Sr. said his son had been running a construction and demolition business along with a car wash business out of the building for about two years.

"He was a person pretty much like myself who was a survivor, worked the best he could to get ahead," Craig Sr. said. "He stayed busy all the time."

Arson and homicide units are investigating the cause of the fire. The family of the fire victim hopes that they will be able to provide them with more information in the near future.

In particular, Craig Sr. wants to know why firefighters didn't go up and check the second floor for potential fire victims after the fire. His son lay inside of it "all night long," he said.

"Now it's not 101 questions that need to be answered, it's 102 questions that need to be answered," Craig, Sr. said.  

The fire took place at approximately 11:29 p.m. Saturday.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Homicide Detectives at 410-396-2100.