Body Charred in Santa Ana Shed Blaze

A charred body was discovered early Wednesday in a shed that had just burned behind a Santa Ana Buddhist temple, officials said.

Coroner’s investigators were using dental records to identify the body, burned beyond recognition. Police are also investigating whether a crime had been committed.

Firefighters were called shortly before 7 a.m. to the Bat Nha Buddhist Temple in the 800 block of Sullivan Street, where the metal shed behind the temple was engulfed in flames.

By the time they arrived, the blaze had been extinguished by a temple resident using a garden hose, said Capt. Ben Gonzales, a spokesman for the Santa Ana Fire Department.

Firefighters opened the shed’s sliding doors and found the body, he said.

Monks at the temple said the shed was used by a religious youth performance group to store costumes and equipment. No one lived in the shed, and they did not know who was inside, they said.