Gardaí have opened a murder inquiry after a man’s body was found in a sleeping bag in Phoenix Park in Dublin.

They had earlier sealed off a wooded area in the park after the remains of the man were found in the area near the Wellington Monument at 1am.

The Irish Times understands the dead man was in a sleeping bag that was engulfed by flames. Gardaí are working on the theory that the man was homeless and was sleeping rough in the park.

“It is an area where homeless people have tended to sleep so the fact he was in a sleeping bag would indicate he was homeless but we’re in the very early stages of this so that’s just one line we are looking at at the moment,” said one source.

The man appears to have died from the burns caused by his sleeping bag going on fire, though the exact cause of death will not be confirmed until a postmortem has been conducted.

Gardaí are trying to establish if the fire was caused accidentally, possibly by a cigarette, or if the sleeping bag was set alight deliberately.

A Garda spokesman said tonight the results of the postmortem had been made known to the investigation team but said gardaí were not releasing details for operational reasons.

Gardaí in Cabra are investigating are appealing for witnesses that may have been in the vicinity of Wellington Road between 12.30am and 1am to contact Cabra Garda station on 01- 6667400, the Garda Confidential Telephone Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.