Body Found Following Veterans Drive Fire

Authorities are working to identify a male victim whose body was found following a duplex fire on Veterans Drive early Friday morning.

Responders arrived at the scene of the blaze at 1305 Veterans Drive just after 4am. Crews closed the roadway as they worked to contain the structural fire. After the blaze was extinguished, responders found the body of a man inside the home. The body was not recognizable, initially hampering identification efforts.

The Traverse City Police Department later identified a possible living relative of the deceased victim. The relative, who lives in the Ann Arbor area, has agreed to give law enforcement a DNA sample to allow for a positive identification of the victim. Authorities have not yet released the victim's name pending positive identification.

The Michigan State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the duplex fire.