A body was discovered behind a supermarket in Santa Clarita after a brush fire on Tuesday night, which has led to a homicide investigation, as reported by KTLA. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department informed the outlet that the body was found near Soledad Canyon Road and Camp Plenty Way. The fire, which broke out near a gated community and has been described as "suspicious," is also under investigation.
While the identity of the deceased has yet to be confirmed as firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a half-acre brush fire along Soledad Canyon Road at Penlon Way, upon putting out the flames a body was discovered, this according to a statement provided by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department to NBC Los Angeles; they also revealed that their deputies were called to the scene after firefighters made the grim find. Investigators have been canvassing the vicinity of the Chuck Pontius Commuter Trail since the incident.
Further details from a report by FOX LA signify that after the fire was extinguished behind homes within a gated community, the body was found in heavy brush. As of now, the cause of the fire is unknown, and authorities have not disclosed how the individual died.
Residents expressed their concerns to ABC7 following the incident, Diana Alvarez a resident, noted the frequent fires started by homeless individuals in the area could pose danger, "It's scary because sometimes we get those winds and we could lose our homes because of the fires and it's very scary because they start lighting them all through here and I always call the fire department and turn it in," she said; Dolores Holguin also told the news outlet about her sadness on the matter, "It's really, really sad because that was a person, a human person, regardless of their situation in life." No suspicion of foul play has been reported so far as the cause remains under active investigation and officials have yet to identify the deceased.
