Body found off I-90 in CdA following small brush fire

Coeur d’Alene police are investigating a dead body found in a brush fire that started early Thursday in a wooded area off Interstate 90 just east of town.

The fire was reported by a passer-by at 3:35 a.m. in the hills above Exit 14 near Potlatch Hill Road, police spokeswoman Sgt. Christie Wood said.

City firefighters arrived and quickly stopped the fire from spreading beyond an area measuring about 30 feet by 30 feet, Wood said.

Firefighters discovered a body in the burned area and called police and fire investigators, she said.

Detectives and fire investigators were hampered in their investigation due to the scene being too hot to enter, Wood said. They began processing the scene about 11 a.m.

The victim has not been identified and no information about the body has been released.

The unincorporated area is on state land. The origin of the fire has not yet been determined, Wood said.

Idaho State Police and Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office detectives are assisting in the investigation.