UPDATED: Man found dead inside burning mobile home near Monrovia

MONROVIA — A 58-year-old chef died Saturday in a fire that destroyed his mobile home in an unincorporated county area near Monrovia, authorities and neighbors said.
Officials did not release the dead man’s name pending positive identification and confirmation that his family had been notified.
The fire was first reported at 8:46 a.m. at a mobile home park in the 2500 block of South Peck Road, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Cheryl Sims said.
Prior to firefighter’s arrival, neighbors did what they could to help, officials said.
“There were residents on the street that were initially trying to knock it down themselves,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Larry Burke said.
But the garden hoses and handheld fire extinguishers did little to combat the fire, which fully engulfed the mobile home when firefighters arrived, according to fire and sheriff’s officials.
While it was not immediately clear on arrival whether anyone was inside the burning mobile home, neighbor’s informed firefighters that the occupant’s vehicle was present in the parking lot and he was “unaccounted for,” Burke said.
So firefighters began searching the mobile home as they worked to extinguish the flames, he said. The body as discovered in the rear portion of the mobile home.
It took firefighters about 15 minutes to extinguish the fire, which did not spread to any other units.
The cause of the fire was being investigated by fire department arson investigators, Los Angeles County sheriff’s arson investigators and the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, sheriff’s Sgt. Abel Moreno said.
Sergio Aranda, the manager of the mobile home park, said the resident had lived in the complex for more than five years, but had moved between mobile homes within the park several months ago.
The man lived alone remained very close with his mother and step-father, Aranda said. “He worried about them.”
“He would keep to himself,” Aranda said. “He was nice.”
Neighbors said the man was also struggling with cancer, but was able-bodied.
Aranda said he last saw the man Friday, and nothing struck him as unusual as they exchanged greetings.
“He was friendly,” said the mobile home park groundskeeper, Richard Ross.

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