SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS : Caretaker Victim in Fire on Star’s Ranch
Authorities on Sunday identified the man who died in a fire on actor Jack Nicholson’s Ventura County ranch as Howard Erler, 48, a longtime caretaker of the property.
Erler “was almost totally incinerated,” said county Deputy Coroner Mitch Breese. His remains were found Saturday morning in a charred 12-by-50-foot trailer, which was behind the main ranch house on Yerba Buena Road in the northern Santa Monica Mountains.
The fire was started by a propane explosion on Friday afternoon but went undetected until Saturday morning, according to Jackie Noel, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department.
Nicholson’s publicist could not be reached for comment Sunday.
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