Firefighters tried in vain to save a badly burned man from a burning tire shop Saturday in a fire that may have been started by Molotov cocktails, authorities said.
Two other bodies were later found at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.
The burning man was trapped behind a locked industrial fence and trying to escape, but he was overcome by the flames before firefighters could break through to him, according to Los Angeles County Fire and Sheriff's department officials.
"By the time they got into the location, the male had already started to go the other way and ran further into the location, where he succumbed to the flames," said Lt. Victor Lewandowski, with the sheriff's department.
A firefighter's face was burned trying to rescue the man, a fire official said. Lewandowski said he would be OK after being taken to a hospital.
"He was making a heroic effort to cut the lock," fire inspector Chris read said.
The two-alarm blaze broke out at a single story tire shop on the 1200 block of North Santa Anita Avenue at around 5:30 a.m., a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman said.
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The person who called 911 said Molotov cocktails were thrown at the business, a tire shop. Witnesses saw a white pickup truck leaving the area when the fire was started, but detectives had no information about suspects.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames at 6:26 a.m. They rescued a dog from the business.
The name of the first deceased person to be found was not being released. There was no immediate information about the other two bodies found.
