Local News in Brief : Sunset Beach : Responding to Apartment Blaze, Firefighters Find Charred Body in Bed

Firefighters responding to a blaze at a Sunset Beach apartment Monday found a man’s charred body in the bedroom, authorities said.

The man was found lying in the bed, but the body was burned beyond recognition, a spokeswoman for the county Fire Department said. The fire was confined to the bedroom of the second-floor apartment. The cause of the blaze has not been determined, authorities said.

The fire, which caused about $25,000 in damage, was under investigation by fire investigators and the Sheriff’s Department, authorities said.

Employees at a nearby surfboard shop reported the fire shortly after 1 p.m. Monday in a small apartment building in the 16000 block of Pacific Coast Highway, the Fire Department spokeswoman said. Firefighters brought the blaze under control within 4 minutes and none of the adjoining buildings were damaged, she said.

Deputies at the fire scene Monday said the victim had not been identified.

Neighbors said the apartment that burned was shared by a 29-year-old man and a female roommate. They described the man as an avid surfer and a former bricklayer who had been on disability since injuring his back in a bicycle accident about a year ago.

“He’s usually out on the beach, and he didn’t work at all. He was out on the beach every day . . . very talkative with people,” said Jim Sacco, 17, who lives across the street from the gutted apartment.