Authorities from Sherman Oaks, CA recently announced that Saturday's Brush Fire was started by a group of Juveniles playing with matches. While trying to control the fire, firemen discovered a human skull down a ravine. Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters were responding to a small fire at the 3500 block of North Coy Drive.
Margaret Stewart, a spokeswoman for the LAFD, said the juveniles were placed, sometime over the weekend, in the Stop Adolescent Fire-setting with Education program instead of placing them in jail. Stewart explained that studies show juveniles who start fires typically fall within a certain age.
She went on to say she had no idea how old they were, how many were involved, or when they placed in the program. Stewart did say that programs like these were better than jail because they target the problem, through education, and try to modify those behaviors in juveniles.
Residents described their neighborhood as a quiet little block.
Neighbors in the 3500 block of North Coy Drive were disturbed by the report of a skull in their town. One of those neighbors, Michael Brown and his wife, spotted the fire Saturday while taking a back road to their house.
At first, the Brown's assumed the fire was just a neighbor barbecuing because it was such a nice day. The Brown's described their neighborhood as a quiet little block and said they were fortunate to never have a fire there.
Michael Brown said as he and his wife drove closer to the gully the flames starting getting bigger and they could see the fire trucks pulling up.
A 72-year-old woman, who lives across from the Brown family, was shocked when she heard a skull had been discovered in the ravine. Neighbors are now anxious to find out the identity and story behind the skull.
“It’s kind of shocking actually,” said Brown, 59, as he stood outside of his lifelong home. “Now we’re getting to the point where we want to know who this person is and their story.”
Search for human remains
The Medical Examiner-Coroner, Ed Winter, said a special operations response team was sent out early Monday to search for additional remains, but so far they have found nothing.
The skull has not been examined to determine its gender, Winter said, and the process would take at least a few days. The LAPD said before diving into questions about whether the person was killed before the fire started would have to wait until they read the coroner's report.
Residents of this small, quiet, somewhat sleepy town are questioning who the skull belongs to, why there are no human remains, and whether this an isolated case or if more skulls will turn up?
