Camp Pendleton

A fire in a van early Tuesday claimed the life of an unidentified man, authorities reported.

Firemen who extinguished the 3 a.m. fire on Las Pulgas Road, near Interstate 5, discovered the charred remains of an adult male inside the vehicle, said Sheriff’s Lt. David Herbert. Arson investigators believe the fire was the result of an accident, Herbert said.

The coroner’s office had made a tentative identification by Tuesday afternoon, but was withholding the victim’s name until his family could be contacted, said Chuck Bolton, a coroner’s deputy. The victim’s body was “burned beyond recognition,” Bolton said.