Police have not identified the man or said whether he died before the fire began.
PHOENIX, AZ – — Phoenix police are investigating after firefighters put out a fire near a canal early Friday and found the burned body of an adult man near 44th and Washington streets, close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
The discovery brought police, firefighters and death investigators to a busy east Phoenix corridor just after midnight June 26. The case remains open, with detectives working to determine how the man died, whether the fire started before or after his death, and who may have been in the area at the time.
Police and fire crews were called to the canal area after reports of a fire near 44th and Washington streets. The location is near Sky Harbor, the PHX Sky Train and major roads that carry airport, transit and late-night traffic. Firefighters put out the flames and then found the man’s body in the burned area. Phoenix police said, “The Phoenix Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire, and a deceased person was located.” Officers secured the area while detectives began treating the scene as a death investigation.
Authorities have not released the man’s name, age or any details about where he lived. Police said the person found was an adult man, but they had not publicly confirmed his identity as of Saturday. Investigators also had not said whether any personal items, vehicle, weapon or accelerant were found near the body. The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner took custody of the remains and is expected to help determine both the cause and manner of death. Police said it was not yet known whether the man was alive when the fire began.
The scene sits in a heavily traveled part of Phoenix, but canal banks can include darker, less visible stretches after midnight. The area around 44th Street and Washington Street includes airport traffic, light rail access, commercial properties and nearby industrial space. That mix could give detectives several possible sources of video, including traffic cameras, transit-area cameras and private security systems. Police have not said whether any video has been recovered or whether witnesses reported seeing a person or vehicle leaving the canal area before crews arrived.
No arrests had been announced, and police had not named any suspect. Detectives responded to process the scene after firefighters found the body. That work can include documenting burn patterns, collecting physical evidence, checking nearby property, canvassing for witnesses and waiting for the medical examiner’s findings. The examination is a key step because it may show whether the man died from the fire, from injuries before the fire, or from another cause. Police have not announced a date for when those findings may be released.
The investigation drew a large police presence near the canal after the first calls came in. Images from the area showed police activity near 44th Street and Madison Street as officers worked around the burned scene. Nearby roads and transit points remained part of the broader airport-area corridor, though officials did not report that airport operations were affected. Police have kept the public description narrow, saying only that the body was found after the fire was extinguished and that detectives would continue investigating the incident.
The man remained unidentified Saturday, and the case was still pending medical examiner review. The next major update is expected when authorities identify the man, release autopsy findings or announce whether the death is being investigated as a homicide.
Author note: Last updated June 27, 2026.