A body was discovered inside a car in the Sand Fire burn area Saturday night, spurring an investigation by homicide detectives, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Firefighters were battling the 22,000-acre blaze in the 26700 block of Iron Canyon Road in the Santa Clarita area when they found the remains inside a burned small compact sedan around 7:20 p.m., a sheriff’s news release said.
The vehicle was parked in the driveway of a home, which was in an area where an evacuation order was in place.
A neighbor identified the person as a man who had been separated from his significant other at their home. She told KTLA the house had burned down.
His partner was informed by sheriff’s officials about the man’s death, the neighbor added.
It was not known whether the death was related to the fire, though there was no indication it was caused by a “criminal event,” according to the release. A cause would be determined later by the L.A. County coroner’s office.
The victim has not yet been identified.
Officials confirmed Sunday that there was one fatality related to the Sand Fire, but provided no additional details.
Anyone with information is asked to call the department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers by dialing 800-222-8477.
