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Remains Of 2nd Victim Found In House Believed To Be Torched By Arsonist

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The remains of a second person were found Sunday in a home that burned in South Los Angeles and officials are now investigating the blaze as arson, a city fire official said.

The fire was reported at 5:51 a.m. Friday at 1026 E. Vernon Ave., said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Fire officials said the abandoned but secured single-story structure, a residential-business conversion, was engulfed in flames upon arrival. The structure had been vandalized.

Firefighters rescued one woman, who later died at a hospital, Humphrey said.

The flames were out in 32 minutes.

Initial reports indicated a second person seen earlier with the woman had fled the scene before firefighters arrived, but firefighters uncovered evidence of human remains at the location this morning.

Neither victim has been identified.

"LAFD investigators, who enlisted the aid of an accelerant detecting canine, determined the fire to be a deliberate act," Humphrey said in a statement.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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