Officials in Council Bluffs today (Tuesday), identified the victim of Monday’s housefire, as the home’s owner. The body of 43-year old Mark Vanderwoude, of Council Bluffs, was found in the second floor master bathroom of the home at 47 Northwood Drive, after firefighters extinguished the flames and began their search of the residence.

Bluffs Fire Chief Alan Byers says crews were dispatched to the home at around 3:10-p.m. Monday. When they arrived, heavy fire conditions were visible from both floors of the single family residence. While an investigation into the cause of the fire is on-going, Byers said a preliminary investigation resulted int the fire being deemed suspicious, because of previous incidents at the residence. Other factors leading authorities to believe the fire’s origins are suspicious, include the extent of the damage done to the structure, and the possibility of an accelerant being used.

An autopsy will be performed by the State Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of Vanderwoude’s death. The home is owned by Mark Vanderwoude and his wife Lori. Neither she nor the couples’ three young children were home, because the couple had separated.