EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. --
A burned body and car were found by firefighters battling a small blaze north of Placerville.
Homicide investigators were called in following the discovery in a canyon between South Fork Road and Rock Creek Road.
Crews originally went to the area early Wednesday to douse a five-acre blaze.
When firefighters got to the bottom of the canyon where the fire began, they discovered the car and body.
The name of the person who died and the cause of death were not immediately known.
Investigators said the car appeared to be traveling along Rock Creek Road when for some reason it left the roadway and fell down a steep embankment. The road does not have a guard rail in the area.
Police said one theory is that the driver died as the car tumbled down into the canyon. The fire may have started when the car caught fire.
The blaze was contained as of Wednesday morning.
