Man, woman and dog found dead in Sylmar fire that ignites hefty cache of ammunition

The bodies of a man, a woman and a dog were discovered Sunday by firefighters battling an early-morning fire in Sylmar that also set off a large cache of ammunition at the property.

Los Angeles firefighters were on the scene in the 13700 block of Glenoaks Boulevard about 4:30 a.m. and found a home and two other structures on the property ablaze, authorities said.

The body of a woman was found in a pool, while the remains of a man and a dog were discovered “in the rubble” of the house fire, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department.

Firefighters’ efforts to knock down the fire were hampered by the presence of ammunition in one of the homes, according to L.A. Fire Capt. Erik Scott. The blaze’s heat then set off the ammunition, leaving the impression that a gun was being fired, he said.

Once the fire was under control, firefighters found the human remains as well as multiple guns in one of the three structures on the property. Police later confirmed that “thousands of rounds of ammunition” were at the location.

“I saw at least two, what appeared to be, automatic weapons — a rifle, ammunition lined up,” Scott told KTLA-TV. “That obviously concerns us — Why is that out?”

The LAPD’s bomb squad responded to the scene to determine whether it was safe.

Authorities said the cause of the fire — and what led to the deaths of the two people — had not been determined and was under investigation.

Authorities have not released any information about the identity of the deceased people. Dogs were used to search for human remains, and homicide detectives were combing the property.

Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.