COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Firefighters searching through a still-smoldering apartment complex that was ravaged by a quick-moving fire Tuesday morning discovered two bodies and have arrested a man on suspicion of first-degree murder, police said.

The Colorado Springs Police Department said the bodies of two people, who have not been identified, were found burned inside the Castle West Apartments.

Fire Marshal Brett Lacey said at a 4 p.m. news conference that 36-year-old Gene Johnson was arrested Wednesday morning on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Johnson, who was not a tenant at the apartment complex, was arrested after officers investigated the suspicious fire and received tips from the public. Investigators have not given a possible motive for the fire.

"Information developed while the fire was ongoing indicated that Mr. Gene Johnson had knowledge of the fire and was involved," Colorado Springs police Lt. Rafael Cintron said in a news release.

Both victims were burned beyond recognition and are still inside the complex because the building is unsafe for firefighters to enter.

Colorado Springs police have taken over the investigation, which has now been classified as a homicide case, Cintron said.

Police said other arrests in the case are imminent and are searching for an early 1990s-model gold Acura 4-sedan that could be connected to the case.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the vehicle is asked to call the Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-7000 or the anonymous line at 719-634-STOP.

Search Continues For Other Victims

Dozens of tenants are still unaccounted for and firefighters don't know if there are more victims inside the buildings.

Firefighters said they have completed 70 percent of their preliminary search, which entails poking their heads in through the windows. A crane was used to lower a few firefighters into the gutted buildings to see if there were victims on the second and third floors.

"It's just our first glimpse," said Lacey.

Lacey said firefighters plan on completing a more thorough search of the buildings later, when it's safe. During that secondary search, investigators will collect evidence and recover bodies.

"With a fire of this magnitude and the complications involved in fully searching the fire scene, information is being developed hour by hour and the search is expected to last several days," according to the release from CSP police department. "Due to the instability of the building and the ongoing firefighting efforts, recovery of the remains will be accomplished as soon as practical."

Firefighters face dangerous conditions inside searching for bodies because of unstable walls that could come crashing down on them. The search was temporarily postponed for several hours Wednesday because the fire was still burning and one exterior wall collapsed just before noon.

Efforts to identify those who lived in the complex were hampered because the apartment manager's list of tenants was destroyed in the blaze, city spokesman John Leavitt said.

The fire destroyed 135 units and injured more than two dozen people. Dozens of people were rescued and pulled out through windows of the burning apartment complex.

"The building has tested positive for asbestos, but that's not unusual for a building that old, but firefighters are prepared," said Lacey.

Red Cross officials said they had heard from residents of 91 of the complex's 121 occupied apartments. Residents were asked to call the Red Cross so they can account for everyone.

Who Is Gene Johnson?

7NEWS reports that Johnson has been arrested numerous times in the past and has at least 12 known aliases. He was arrested in December 2005 on domestic violence charges and ultimately pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.

In July 2005, Johnson was arrested on drug charges and pleaded guilty to felony possession and served 15 days in jail. His sentence also included three years probation.

Johnson was arrested twice in 2006, both on theft charges, one of which he pleaded guilty to.

The fire broke out sometime before 1 a.m. The cause of the blaze was not immediately determined but firefighters noted the fire spread very quickly and that made it "suspicious."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said early estimates put the damage at more than $6 million.

BATF was sending its National Response Team, which investigated the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City and the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, to assist in the investigation.

The fire spread as crews arriving at the scene found people hanging out of windows and balconies and the building engulfed in flames.

Fire Capt. Glenn Conklin said crews rescued 62 people through windows. Some survivors jumped from balconies, but it wasn't clear whether they were included in the Fire Department total.

"People were throwing kids out of the windows," resident James Evans told The Gazette newspaper in Colorado Springs. "I just woke up and it was on fire -- everything was on fire," he said.

Evans, who lived on the third floor, said he tried to lower himself to the ground by a television cable, but the cable snapped and he fell, suffering an injury. It was not clear how badly he was hurt or how far he fell.

Memorial Hospital Central said 29 people were taken there with sprained ankles, broken bones and other injuries, but none appeared to be life-threatening. Only one person was admitted.

One firefighter also suffered a minor injury, Sievers said. Details were not immediately available.

The temperature was 8 degrees when the fire broke out, and runoff from the fire hoses froze into a thick sheet of ice on nearby streets.

The Colorado Springs chapter of the American Red Cross set up a shelter a church next door. David Just, the organization's chief executive, said he knew of about 150 people displaced by the fire and expected up to 40 people to stay overnight in the shelter.

Just said the Red Cross hadn't heard from anyone who couldn't find an apartment resident. The Red Cross was giving fire victims debit cards to buy clothes, medicine and other things.

Additional Resources

The Red Cross can be reached at 719-632-3563.

Vehicles that were left in the Castle West Apartments parking lots are in the process of being moved away from the fire scene and are being towed to the northeast corner of the Citadel Mall parking lot and locked if possible. Owners may recover their cars from the Citadel without charge until Feb. 7. After Feb. 7, the vehicles will be towed to the CSPD Impound Facility on East Las Vegas Street.

For information about towed vehicles and other information about the fire, visit www.springsgov.com.

Donations can be mailed or dropped off at 1040 S. Eighth St. in Colorado Springs, Colo., 80906-1220.

To make a donation online, click here.