A 45-year-old man who was found dead inside an El Monte apartment building that caught fire was identified by authorities Wednesday.
The fire was reported at 3:05 a.m. Monday in the 11400 block of Magnolia Street at Musgrove Avenue, according to Dispatch Supervisor Jeremy Stafford of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Chih Lee was pronounced dead at the scene, coroner records indicate.
Two units of the four-unit building were on fire, Stafford told City News Service. Firefighters had the flames out at 3:46 a.m., he said.
El Monte police officers and firefighters evacuated the apartment units, according to a videographer at the scene.
A battalion chief told Fox11 that arriving firefighters heard a popping noise that usually signals the presence of ammunition inside the residence so they first fought the blaze from outside the building to cool down the apartment before moving inside.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to the fire department.