HAZLETON -- A man from Hazleton has been identified as the victim of a bizarre crime in Boston.
Police in Massachusetts say the case started as a deadly fire and now it's a homicide investigation.
That intense fire happened Friday night in the Roxbury section of Boston.
We learned on Monday that a 69-year-old man from Hazleton was found dead inside the duplex and now police in Boston are saying he had been stabbed.
Investigators say Santo Bernabel of Hazleton is the victim of a crime some 300 miles away in Boston.
Fire tore through the duplex Friday night in the city's Roxbury neighborhood.
Authorities say one woman was hurt and dozens were forced out of that duplex and others nearby including Marisela Milian and her baby.
"Red, orange flames and then there was a bunch of black smoke coming out of all the windows. And then the firefighters were like, 'Oh, shoot it's going to explode.' And like the windows were shattering and then fire was coming out the windows," Milian said.
Boston police first thought that Bernabel had died in that blaze, but after an autopsy investigators say they discovered that he had been stabbed several times.
They call his death a homicide.
Police are now trying to figure out how long Bernabel had been in Boston, how he was stabbed, and what sparked the fire.
"It's very unfortunate. You hate to hear when there are fatalities in events such as this," said Boston resident Walter Reed.
Boston police say Bernabel lives in Hazleton, but we could not find any phone or property records or any relatives who live in the city.
Boston police say anyone who has information about the man should give them a call.