A 62-year-old Columbia man who died in a house fire Friday set fire to the residence, Howard County police said Tuesday.

Soo Wan Hong of the 7200 block of Riding Hood Circle had to be identified through dental records because his body was so badly burned.

Police and neighbors said that Hong lived alone and did not have any immediate relatives living in the United States, but through the police investigation, detectives determined that Hong had decided to take his own life.

"Our investigators took a number of things into account before making a determination that this was a suicide, including some of Mr. Hong's actions in the days leading up to the fire as well as some information they gathered since the incident occurred, " police spokewoman Sherry Llewellyn said.

There was no forced entry into the house, or any evidence of foul play, according to Llewellyn.

Police would not say if Hong left a note or used an accelerant to start the fire.

The state medical examiner has yet to determine a cause of death, Llewellyn said.

Marianne Hollerbach, Hong's next-door neighbor, said in an e-mail Saturday that she heard and felt an explosion shortly after 5 a.m. Friday. She called 911 and went with her daughter to Hong's house after seeing flames shooting from a second-floor window. They broke ground floor windows to gain entry into the house and called out to Hong, but were unable to get upstairs because the fire was so intense.

Hollerbach's daughter rescued Hong's two Shitzu dogs. According to Hollerbach, the dogs were taken to a local animal shelter.

Llewellyn said that the room in which Hong was found was "pretty much destroyed by the fire."