Major Case Squad activated after fatal Cahokia house fire

The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis was activated after an 89-year-old man died in a house fire in Cahokia, the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed.

Howard Sutton, 89, died after his home on St. Marcella Drive in Cahokia caught fire at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. When crews tried to enter the structure to fight the fire, they were stopped by ammunition going off in the house.

Cahokia Fire Chief Stephen Robbins said crews had to back off due to a “decent” amount of ammunition exploding in the house. He said there were at least a few boxes of ammunition.

Sutton was found dead inside the house after the fire was under control.

BND reporter Dana Rieck contributed to this story.

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Major Case Squad activated after fatal Cahokia house fire."