Emergency crews responding to a report of a fire on the western outskirts of Old Town Monday arrived to find a burning body.
The blaze was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. on state-owned land alongside a bicycle path near the intersection of Pacific Highway and Taylor Street, just south of Interstate 8 and east of I-5, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A witness saw two men trying to put out the flames, then leaving the area prior to the arrival of firefighters, police said.
The identity of the dead person and details on how the blaze might have started were not immediately available.
Detectives with the Highway Patrol were called in to gather evidence at the scene, CHP investigator Michael Bell said.
Updated at 5:14 p.m. April 15, 2024
City News Service contributed to this article.