PHOENIX (CBS5) -
A deadly house fire Tuesday morning is believed to be a murder-suicide, according to Phoenix police.
The bodies of an elderly couple were found inside a home at 17842 N. 41st Dr., between Bell Road and Union Hills Drive, just before 8:30 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, they found smoke billowing from the roof.
The fire appeared to have started in six different areas of the home, firefighters said.
"They (firefighters) met up with several small fires within the house, all within different points of origin," Phoenix Police Sgt. Trent Crump said. "Clearly deliberate fires (were) set. On top of that, there were also some accelerant found inside the home."
The bodies of a man and woman were initially detected inside a back bedroom by thermal imaging cameras. They were both shot dead with the weapon lying on the bed between them.
"They were good neighbors," Sharon Smith said.
Smith lives across the street and smelled the smoke from her backyard.
"I cried. I was in shock, I mean, what do you do? It's a horrible thing to hear. It's just devastating to hear that kind of stuff. How does anyone feel - you wish you were there. I saw the smoke and that was my first reaction: Where are they?"
The names of the victims have not been released, but friends of the couple who lives in the home said they had recently fallen on hard times.
"There's always an answer for something. Doing this is not an answer. It leaves their family members devastated and they're left with wondering why," Smith said.
At this point, officers believe it was a murder-suicide, but who shot who is still under investigation.
Stay with cbs5az.com and CBS 5 News as this story develops.
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Two people were found inside a back bedroom of a Phoenix home that appeared to be set on fire Tuesday morning.
