SALT LAKE CITY — One man was found dead following a fire in a Salt Lake house Saturday morning.

Further investigation indicates the fire may have been intentionally set and that the man found inside died from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” said Salt Lake Police Lt. Brett Olsen.

The blaze began just before 7 a.m. and flames were mostly contained to a basement apartment at 1330 S. 1100 East. The first floor, however, collapsed and smoke was pouring out a hole in the roof.

The man, whose name has not been released, had been renting the apartment for at least a decade, and was a veteran, according to Keith Smith, the owner of the building and the deceased man’s longtime landlord.

“I don’t know what happened,” he said, after surveying the damages Saturday. “He was a nice guy.”

Smith said the tenant consistently paid rent two months in advance.

“He’s the kind of guy you’d want to rent to,” he added, saying the man mostly kept to himself.

Suicide prevention resources If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK. Crisis hotlines Utah County Crisis Line: 801-691-5433

Salt Lake County/UNI Crisis Line: 801-587-3000

Wasatch Mental Health Crisis Line: 801-373-7393

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1-866-488-7386 Online resources NAMI Utah: namiut.org

Utah Chapter-American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: afsputah.com

Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Smith retired as an accountant three months ago and, prior to that, had been running his business out of the home. He was planning to sell the home and had told the tenant he would have to find a new place to live. He said there were “no indicators” that something was wrong.

“I liked the guy very much,” Smith said.

Olsen said the man who died, who appears to be in his 60s, started the fire and then killed himself, though police have not uncovered a motive. Investigators also found a grenade-type device near the body of the man who died and a bomb-squad was called in to remove it.