SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — First responders in Escondido found a body inside a burning car in the parking lot of a storage facility Sunday morning, according to the Escondido Police Department's watch commander.
UPDATE:
ABC 10News went back to Public Storage on Brotherton and spoke with Escondido police on scene.
Escondido police do not suspect foul play at this time, but are still scrubbing through public storage's footage to see what led up to the moment that car caught on fire, and what happened to the man they discovered deceased inside.
Lt. Ryan Hicks with the Escondido Police Departments Investigations Division said, "We have to look at was this a quick flash over where the man didn't have time to get out? Was the person unconscious with a slower fire and they weren't able to awaken to get out? It's unusual for a person to be trapped in a stationary vehicle that catches on fire."
Hicks said that the fire department found the fire was coming from inside the cabin of the sedan.
The fire was not coming from the car engine or any exterior part of the car.
Hicks said sprinklers were already on upon arrival, and it helped the fire department put the fire out quickly.
Hicks said that helped preserve a lot of evidence, so Escondido Police now has the car and will search for fingerprints, flammable materials, or any evidence they can find.
The medical examiner has the deceased man's body and will determine his cause of death.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
The watch commander says units first responded to a call about a car on fire at the Public Storage facility, located at 325 Brotherton Road, at 9:58 a.m.
Responding officers found the burning car parked under a carport in the facility's parking lot. As they investigated the scene, officers discovered a body in the driver's seat inside the Hyundai sedan, according to EPD.
The watch commander says a death investigation is underway; however, it's still too early at this point to determine the cause of the fire or death.
Any witnesses or anyone who has information on this investigation is asked to call the Escondido Police Department's tip line at 760-743-8477.
This is a developing story. ABC 10News has sent a reporter to the area to gather more information.
