Body found in burned-out car after fire in Bell Gardens parking lot

BELL GARDENS, Calif. (KABC) -- A person's body was found inside a burned-out car after the sedan erupted in flames early Tuesday morning in the parking lot of a Bell Gardens shopping mall, authorities said.

The car fire was reported shortly before 3 a.m. in the 5800 block of Florence Avenue, prompting a response from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Firefighters knocked down the blaze and the sheriff's Arson/Explosives Detail was summoned to the scene.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department later confirmed the body was discovered, but investigators said it was unclear if the unidentified person had died before the fire.