Body of Man Found After Fire in Abandoned Bus

Firefighters who extinguished a blaze in an abandoned school bus found the body of a 51-year-old man inside the vehicle.

The man, who was badly burned, has not been identified, authorities said.

A call was received Sunday at 8:11 a.m. that a bus was on fire behind Freeway Imports, an automobile import store on Hawthorne Boulevard, said Sheriff’s Deputy Henry Garza. Behind the shop was a storage area for disabled vehicles, where the bus was located.

When the fire was extinguished, firefighters discovered the dead man who apparently had been sleeping in the bus. Investigators determined that the fire was caused by a space heater coming in contact with bedding material, authorities said.