Man Dies in Trailer Fire Near Actor’s Malibu Ranch : Explosion: The blaze, apparently ignited by a propane leak, burned all night. The property is owned by Jack Nicholson.

An unidentified man whose charred remains were found Saturday morning on a Ventura County ranch owned by actor Jack Nicholson apparently died in a trailer fire that was started by a propane leak, according to county fire officials.

The propane exploded Friday afternoon, but the fire it ignited was not detected until the next morning, according to Jackie Noel, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

It was unclear if anyone was in the main house during the explosion. The house is situated uphill in front of the trailer.

Because the body was extensively burned, Deputy Coroner Mitch Breese said he could not positively identify the victim, and the cause of death would be determined during an autopsy Monday.

But Edwin Macdonald, who lives on an adjoining ranch, said the trailer was the home of a caretaker who had tended the garden around Nicholson’s house for several years. Macdonald said he heard an explosion just after 2 p.m. Friday but did not call police because he thought it was a sonic boom.

Noel said the fire destroyed the trailer.

“It happened yesterday and apparently burned all night long,” she said. “Because of the remote location, it was not detected until this morning.”

The fire did not spread to an adjoining wooded area, Noel said, adding that three fire trucks were dispatched.

Breese said he has still not determined what ignited the propane that fueled a stove in the trailer.

Breese said he suspects neighbors did not notice the fire because of the rain storm that passed through the county Friday night.

He said the trailer was situated off a remote dirt road behind the main ranch house. The body was found by a gardening crew Saturday morning.

Gardeners and others on the grounds of the ranch on Yerba Buena Road near Malibu declined to comment Saturday afternoon.

According to real estate records, Nicholson’s 2,313-square-foot house has three bedrooms and a pool.

Nicholson’s publicist could not be reached for comment.