Woman found dead inside house that caught fire in Colorado town, extensive investigation underway

Firefighters in Arapahoe County on Monday morning responded to a fire at a house. Authorities said a body was found in the home soon after the first responders got there.

The person who died was determined to be a woman. The circumstances surrounding her death are unclear. Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as state investigators, are now involved in the investigation into the fire and the woman's death.

There was little apparent damage to the outside of the house aside from a hole in the roof, but fire investigators say the damage inside the home is "extensive."

The woman's body was located inside the house, but not near the apparent location of the start of the fire.

"There were neighbors that came over to the house, that knocked on the door, that tried to see if anyone was home at the time," said Arapahoe County Sheriff's Spokeswoman Ginger Delgado.

The Arapahoe County coroner will determine the cause of death. The investigation was being handled by homicide detectives, but the sheriff's office said it was not yet considered a homicide. As of Monday night, the identity of the victim was not yet released.

A neighbor behind the home first noticed the fire.

"My mother-in-law was outside and saw smoke coming out of the roof," Daniel Enger said. "My wife instantly called the fire department and then my daughter and her boyfriend went around the corner and started pounding on the door to try to get the people aware that there's a fire in the house."

No one responded.

The couple listed as the owners of the home in the Sky Ranch development -- in Watkins -- have been in the house for about a year, neighbors said. In recent months, however, the wife was living alone, with neighbors and friends telling CBS Colorado that the couple had separated.

Court records show the husband was arrested for assaulting the wife in April at the property. On Friday, records show, he pleaded guilty and was given a three-month deferred sentence and ordered to perform community service.

There were no arrests and no one was in custody.