Burned body of homeless man found

The burned body of an unidentified homeless man was found early yesterday, lying between two burning cars at an Essex used car dealership, Baltimore County police reported.

The death was believed to have been accidental, police said.

According to police, county firefighters arrived at Auto Bank in the 1000 block of Eastern Blvd. about 6:20 a.m. and found at least three vehicles on fire. They subsequently saw the body lying between two burned-out vehicles, one of them a van, police said.

Evidence indicated that the man, who was known to police, was trying to keep warm in the van when a fire, probably from a cigarette, set the interior on fire and flames spread to two adjacent vehicles, they said.

The body was sent to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy.