HMG-CN Exclusive: Eyewitness Account – With Photos – of Cerritos Car Fire Fatality

ABOVE: A fireman prepares to extinguish the flames of the Toyota on Denni St. in Cerritos. Afterward, it was determined that the burned occupant was a 55 year-old man from La Palma. Several gas cans were found inside the car.

By Brian Hews

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide and Arson investigators are continuing their investigation into the death of a 55 year-old man who died in a car fire on Sunday in the 7800 block of Denni Street, Cerritos.

At approximately 7:47 AM, deputies and Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded to the call. When they arrived, they discovered a 1999 Toyota Corolla parked along the west curb and engulfed in flames.  The Los Angeles County Fire Department extinguished the fire.

Upon closer inspection, the victim was discovered deceased inside the front seat area of the vehicle.

At this time, it is unknown why or how the fire started, but several gas cans were located in the interior of the vehicle.

Eyewitnesses who saw the tragic incident approached HMG-CN to tell the story.

Both said they were traumatized after learning a body was in the car.

They wanted to remain anonymous.

One eyewitness was coming home from work, the other was completing a construction job on the street.

They both noticed the car and thought it “unusual” since normally there is no parking on the street due to Cerritos parking regulations.

The two approached the car and noticed what looked like steam escaping from the windows. Once they got closer, “you could smell it was some kind of fire.”

“The motor was running too,” said one eyewitness.

At that moment the two decided to break into the car and grabbed a toolbox to break the windows.

They first broke out the passenger window, followed by the driver’s side window.

With airflow into the car the flames became more pronounced.

“We could see the body at that point it was laying across the front seat, head on the passenger seat, feet on the driver’s seat, fire had not engulfed the body yet, but the rest of the interior was in flames, he was not screaming, so he must have been unconscious.”

The two, along with a La Palma police officer, attempted to remove the body “but it was just too hot.”

LAFD arrived minutes later to put the fire out.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

Twitter: @cerritosnews

Ring Battery Doorbell, Head-to-Toe Video, Live View with Two-Way Talk, and Motion Detection & Alerts (2024 release), Venetian…

(11228)

$99.99 (as of April 24, 2025 05:27 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

AUTOMET Short Sleeve Shirts for Women Henley Casual Summer Tops 2025 V Neck Spring Blouses Dressy T-Shirts Work Outfits

(20)

$9.99 (as of April 23, 2025 17:21 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Apple iPhone 12, 64GB, Blue - Unlocked (Renewed)

(29884)

$220.00 (as of April 24, 2025 05:27 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Acer TravelMate TMB118-M-C80T Intel Celeron N4000 2 Core @ 1.10GHz 4GB 64GB eMMC, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)

(5)

$84.99 (as of April 23, 2025 17:21 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes, Water Based, Hypoallergenic and Unscented, 8 Flip-Top Packs, 4 Refill Packs (1008 Wipes Total)

(229566)

$33.99 (as of April 24, 2025 05:27 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Gelid On The Day You Were Born, The Stars Were Perfectly Aligned - Funny Happy Birthday Cards for Women Her Sister - Humorous…

(62)

$4.99 (as of April 23, 2025 17:21 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Armor All Car Cleaning Wipes, Wipes for Car Interior and Car Exterior, 90 Wipes Each

(3406)

$10.06 (as of April 24, 2025 05:27 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

USANOOKS Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Grey - 12 Pcs (12.5"x12.5") - High Performance - 1200 Washes, Ultra Absorbent Microfiber…

(13716)

$8.98 (as of April 24, 2025 05:27 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Ring Indoor Cam (newest model) — Home or business security in 1080p HD video, White

(26968)

$59.99 (as of April 24, 2025 05:27 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

HealSmart Ice Maker for Countertop, 9 Ice Cubes Ready in 6 Mins, 26lbs Ice/24Hrs, with Self-Cleaning Feature, Ice Spoon and…

(463)

$54.99 (as of April 24, 2025 05:27 GMT -07:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)