A fire early Sunday destroyed two wooden houses in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and police found two charred bodies in one of the gutted structures.
The fire started in the house of Hitoshi Takahashi, 58, and spread to the neighboring home in a residential area about 2.5 km northwest of JR Hiratsuka Station.
Police suspect the two bodies found near the kitchen area in Takahashi's house were those of Takahashi and Chiyoko Suzuki, 60, who lived with him. They were looking into the cause of the fire.
The residents of the neighboring house were able to get out without injury.
According to neighbors, Takahashi had lived in the house for about 10 years but was planning to move out Sunday.