Sheriff's Dept. Concludes Man's Fire Death at Weho Carnaval Was Accidental

By City News Service

A man who died from burns he suffered during the West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval was injured when he attempted to light a cigarette and accidentally caught his costume on fire, authorities said Thursday.

Gilbert Estrada was injured around 10:26 p.m. on Oct. 31 and pronounced dead at a hospital the following day, according to Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau, who announced the findings of a follow-up investigation of the fatality.

Estrada, whose family said he was 51, was among approximately 400,000 people who attended the annual event.

A video of the accident posted on YouTube showed a ball of flame erupting at the back of a large crowd watching performances on the "Pulp Friction" stage on Santa Monica Boulevard.

The video shows Estrada, who appeared to be barechested, standing in the street, cloaked in flames. He then moves onto the grassy median of the boulevard, where he collapses.

As the surrounding crowd whooped at the spectacle, the man spun on the ground, flames reaching five feet in the air.

Several bystanders tried to douse his flaming pants with their bare hands and pour water from a plastic bottle, the nearly two-minute video clip shows.

An autopsy was conducted by the Los Angeles County coroner's office, but its findings were deferred pending toxicology results, Corina said.