Monrovia house fire arson investigators find dead body in a shed nearby

Arson investigators discovered a man dead in a shed Thursday evening near a Monrovia home that exploded in flames days earlier.

The house fire was first reported around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of E. Colorado Boulevard, according to the Monrovia Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, flames were beginning to threaten a neighboring house.

Neighbors said the fire was preceded by a large explosion that sent shocks through the neighborhood.

"It was just a huge boom," said neighbor Sherrie Vollaire the afternoon of the fire. "I mean it shook the building."  

At the time of the fire, crews said that one person, believed to be a tenant, was unaccounted for and a search was underway.

Monrovia police were called to the scene Thursday around 10 p.m. as arson investigators discovered a man, dead in an unattached shed nearby, which was not involved in the original fire.

The Office of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner was notified and will work to identify the man and determine the cause of death.