Three bodies found in Azusa house fire had gunshot wounds

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Three people found dead in an Azusa house fire Thursday all had gunshot wounds to the upper body, authorities have revealed.

The victims -- two women and a man -- have not been identified pending autopsies. All three were in their 50s, coroner’s officials said.

Azusa police said they also found several incendiary devices, 12 rifles, 10 handguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition in the home.

It’s unclear if the victims were shot before the fire or as a result of the ammunition exploding in the blaze, said Azusa Lt. Mike Bertelsen.

Police were called to the house in the 500 block of North Dalton Avenue at 2:43 p.m. Thursday.

Officers said that when they arrived the house and garage were engulfed in fire. Police could hear the popping sound of ammunition “burning off,” prompting the evacuation of neighboring homes.

The 911 calls reporting the fire came from neighbors, while there were no calls for help from inside the home, officials said.

Court records show that the home had gone into foreclosure in June and was owned by MPH Property in Los Angeles. Neighbors told KTLA News that a man and his two sisters moved into the home after their father died and their mother became ill.

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