Man Dies in Brush Fire by Riverside Freeway

Firefighters found a burned body Thursday after extinguishing a small brush fire alongside the Riverside Freeway at Imperial Highway, police said.

The identity of the 38-year-old man, believed to be a transient, was withheld, said Sgt. Joe Vargas. Investigators believe he fell asleep or passed out near a burning campfire.

Preliminary findings from the coroner's office point to smoke inhalation as the cause of the death, police said.

The fire burned in a 30-foot area where transients were camped.

"We believe it is an accident," Vargas said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.