Kansas City house fire now a homicide investigation, police say

— -- A fire that engulfed a home in Kansas City, Kansas, early Tuesday is now being investigated as a homicide, police said.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department announced the homicide investigation via Twitter late Wednesday, one day after officials found three bodies inside the scorched single-family residence. Though details surrounding the case are limited, police said the fire might have been intended to cover up a murder scene.

The identities of the three victims have not yet been released, but one woman told reporters that she feared her sister was among the dead.

Patricia Green told ABC affiliate KMBC that her sister, Gwen, had lived at the home for the past several months.

“I hope for the best, that she’s somewhere at another location and she’ll see this broadcast and reach out to one of us and let us know that she’s OK,” Green said in an interview with KMBC on Tuesday.

She said that she tried to call her sister multiple times but “her phone is going straight to not accepting calls.”

The fire was reported to authorities around 3 a.m. local time Tuesday. Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Chief John Paul Jones said via Twitter that “crews experienced heavy fire conditions upon arrival.”

Firefighters found two bodies inside the residence after an initial search. A third body was later discovered in the home. The three victims’ cause of death remains under investigation, authorities said.

The fire department said it is conducting an “extensive fire investigation” and will release further details “at the appropriate time.”

ABC News’ Karma Allen contributed to this report.