A neighborhood in southern California remained locked down on Monday after the discovery of a body of a man who neighbors said blew himself up outside his home.

The incident happened at 8 p.m. Sunday in the 3100 block of Bermuda Drive near Labrador Drive in Costa Mesa.

Someone noticed a man on the ground in a front yard and called an ambulance.

The man declined an offer of help. It wasn't until later, police and neighbors said, that he blew himself up.

"He was under his own power to get back to his own residence," said Sgt. Jerry Hildeman, of the Costa Mesa Police Department. "We believed we didn’t have any reason to go further."

The police came back and found the man dead. They believe he was wearing two pipebombs. They say it's unclear whether he committed suicide or accidentially killed himself.

Personnel from the Orange County Sheriff's Bomb Squad and Orange County Fire Authority Hazardous Materials Unit were combing through the home Monday morning after finding a second explosive that they detonated.

FBI agents assisted local authorities in case there were any federal laws broken, said Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman.

Authorities said they would continue to look for additional explosives before rendering the home safe and allowing residents back into the neighborhood.

Laurie Raphoon, a neighbor, was one of the residents who was evacuated.

She said she was shocked when she heard an explosion. She said it happened after a neighbor, who she described as in his late 40s or early 50s, collapsed outside his home and refused to be taken to a hospital.

"Neighbors were trying to convince him to go to the hospital," Raphoon said. "An hour or two later we heard an explosion."

Pool / REUTERS

Defendant Christian Gerhartsreiter from Germany listens to the prosecutor during his murder trial at the Los Angeles Superior Court in Los Angeles in this file photo taken March 18, 2013.

A man who blended into wealthy East Coast circles by posing as a member of the famous Rockefeller family was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder in the 1985 killing of a Southern California man whose remains were unearthed decades later in his family's backyard.

Jurors deliberated for about one day in the case of Christian Gerhartsreiter, who used several aliases that included Clark Rockefeller — a name that allowed him to fraternize with members of high society after he left Southern California following the disappearance of John and Linda Sohus.

John Sohus' remains were found by a construction crew nine years after he and his wife Linda disappeared. A father-son work crew found the remains -- Sohus' skull was in two plastic bags -- when they were building a pool in the backyard of the Sohus family's San Marino home.

Ellen Sohus, the victim's step-sister, spoke about her brother outside the courtroom. She remembered him as "the original nerd," who would set up electronic equipment and other gadgets for her.

"He was gentle, fun loving and curious — he knew everything," Sohus said.

Linda Sohus has never been located, and defense attorneys attempted to cast her as a suspect in the case.

Prosecutors presented three weeks of circumstantial evidence during the trial. In their closing argument, they told jurors that all the evidence pointed to Gerhartsreiter -- not Linda Sohus.

"The jurors rejected what was unreasonable," said Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian.

Gerhartsreiter faces a penalty of 27 years to life in prison.

The German national moved to the United States in the late 1970s. He was a tenant on the Sohus' property in the upscale community (map) southeast of Pasadena at the time of the couple's disappearance.

Gerhartsreiter left Southern California for Connecticut in Sohus' vehicle and attempted to assume another life on the East Coast, according to prosecutors. The timeline of events -- including Gerhartsreiter's activities in Southern California and on the East Coast -- was presented to jurors during the trial in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.

"What I have now are answers to questions that I never thought I would have answers to," Ellen Sohus said. "What happened to John? Who's responsible? And, what the defendant continued to do after he left San Marino."

He adopted the "Rockefeller" alias in an effort to move in wealthy circles, according to prosecutors. Defense attorneys argued  the defendant's aliases have nothing to do with Sohus' death, and that he is just one of many people who moved to Los Angeles to "reinvent themselves."

Gerhartsreiter called himself "Chichester" in the early 1980s when he moved to Southern California. He said he was a film student at USC and claimed he was related to Sir Francis Chichester, a famed British adventurer.

Gerhartsreiter was serving time for the kidnapping in Boston when investigators connected him to the Sohus case.

A wind-whipped brushfire spread over 170 acres overnight in Ventura County, Calif., destroying two homes and threatening about 100 more, and was still not contained as of early Tuesday morning.

The fire began with a fire in a mobile home around 3:15 p.m. on Monday, fire officials said. That home sustained damage to its roof, but was not entirely destroyed. About 400 firefighters responded as the blaze spread, with officials saying that they hoped slackening winds overnight would help them control the flames.

“I can see flames and some smoke and helicopters coming in and dropping of their water,” Judi Ortiz, an employee at a local gas station, told NBCLosAngeles.com. “You couldn’t see anything at the beginning but smoke. It’s horrific.”

Driven by 40-mph winds, the city engulfed an orchard near the city of Fillmore, north of Los Angeles.

“A couple years back we had some pretty bad fires, but nothing that came close to homes like this,” Fillmore Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Minjares told NBCLosAngeles.com. “This is pretty significant.”

No injuries have been reported as a result of the fire. Authorities lifted a mandatory evacuation order on about 160 homes early on Tuesday morning, saying they hoped to have the fire contained by sun up.

Paul Buck / EPA

Christian Gerhartsreiter of Germany (BOTTOM) speaks with a member of his defense team Brad Bailey (TOP) during a break in closing arguments in his murder trial in Los Angeles Superior Court in Los Angeles, California, USA, 08 April 2013. Gerhartsreiter, who went by the alias Clark Rockerfeller, is accused of allegedly killing his landlord, John Sohus, in February 1985.

Closing arguments began Monday morning in the trial for a man who posed as a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family after allegedly killing a Southern California man whose remains were unearthed decades later in his family's backyard.

Christian Gerhartsreiter, who used several aliases that included Clark Rockefeller, is accused of murder in the death of John Sohus, whose remains were found by a construction crew nine years after he and his wife Linda disappeared. The father-son work crew found the remains when they were building a pool in the backyard of the Sohus family's San Marino home.

Linda Sohus has never been located.

Gerhartsreiter, a German national who moved to the United States in the late 1970s, was a tenant on the Sohus' property in the upscale community southeast of Pasadena at the time of the couple's disappearance. He left Southern California for Connecticut in Sohus' vehicle and attempted to assume another life on the East Coast, according to prosecutors.

Sohus' mother began receiving postcards written to appear as though they were from her son and his wife. Prosecutors claim the postcards were part of a ruse to convince the Sohus family that the couple had left for France.

He adopted the "Rockefeller" alias in an effort to move in wealthy circles, according to prosecutors. Defense attorneys argued  the defendant's aliases have nothing to do with Sohus' death, and that he is just one of many people who moved to Los Angeles to "reinvent themselves."

Gerhartsreiter called himself "Chichester" in the early 1980s when he moved to Southern California. He said he was a film student at USC and claimed he was related to Sir Francis Chichester, a famed British adventurer.

Prosecutors presented three weeks of circumstantial evidence during the trial. Defense attorneys have claimed it is just as likely that Sohus' wife is behind the slaying.

Prosecutors told jurors during their closing argument that all the evidence pointed to Gerhartsreiter -- not Linda Sohus.

Gerhartsreiter was serving time for the kidnapping in Boston when investigators connected him to the Sohus case.

One of the two hikers rescued from the Cleveland National Forest in Southern California said Sunday that he was in and out of consciousness while stuck in a rugged Orange County canyon.

"The last thing I could tell you was going into a lucid dream," said 19-year-old Nicolas Cendoya. "I can't even tell you when I woke up. I was in lucid dreams and hallucinations for days."

Cendoya was released from Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo in Sunday.

"I could see the helicopters flying over me every day," Cendoya said. "When the firefighters came up to me, I couldn't even believe it."

"We weren't meant to die," he said.

Cendoya and Kyndall Jack, 18, were saved last week after getting lost and separated during a hike in the Trabuco Canyon area for several days.

Jack, who was rescued a day after Cendoya, has since messaged Cendoya, thanking him for helping the pair survive.

Cendoya was hospitalized in Mission Viejo, while Jack was at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange. Both hikers suffered dehydration along with cuts and bruises.

Jack remained hospitalized in good condition as of Sunday and no discharge date has been set yet, according to UC Irvine Healthcare spokesman John Murray.

The search continued on Thursday for a female hiker who went missing over the weekend in Orange County's Cleveland National Forest, hours after her hiking companion was found confused and dehydrated near where the pair had parked their car.

Orange County Sheriff's officials have mounted a massive search involving multiple law enforcement agencies by air and ground for Kyndall Jack, 18, who along with her partner, Nicholas Cendoya, went missing on Easter Sunday.

Cendoya was found by a hiker about a half-mile from where he and Jack parked their car at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, said Orange County sheriff's Lt. Jason Park.

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He was "severely dehydrated and disoriented" and taken to a hospital where he was listed in serious condition.

Park said searchers will continue scouring the area near where Cendoya was found as they look for Jack, who, like Cendoya, was described as athletic and in good health.

About 40 rescue workers, some on horseback, searched for Cendoya and Jack on Wednesday, Park said.

Many volunteers joined the search, including two who became lost and had to be tracked down and rescued.

Fearing that novice rescuers could end up interfering with the search, officials have discouraged volunteers from joining in.

Cendoya and Jack, both Costa Mesa residents, called authorities about 8:25 p.m. Sunday to say they had gotten lost while hiking in Holy Jim Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest, said Gail Krause, an Orange County sheriff's spokeswoman, adding that their cell phone's battery then wore down.

Authorities could not get an accurate GPS "ping" from the phone to pinpoint the hikers' location, said Sheriff's Lt. Erin Giudice.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Searchers on Thursday rescued an 18-year-old woman who had gotten lost with a friend on an Easter Sunday hike in an Orange County forest.

Orange County Sheriff via AP

Hiker Nicholas Cendoya was found alive late Wednesday. Kyndall Jack, right, was found on Thursday.

A sound of a female voice led Orange County Sheriff's search and rescue teams to locate Kyndall Jack in the Holy Jim Canyon area of the Cleveland National Forest, said Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Jason Park.

Crews used a helicopter about noon Thursday to hoist Jack out of a dense ravine and take her to a hospital.

The rescue came hours after authorities found Jack's hiking companion Nicholas Cendoya.

He was found "dehydrated and disoriented" in a ravine near where Jack and Cendoya had parked their car.

Searchers had to cut through thick brush to rescue Cendoya. Visibility was less than 10 feet, Park said.

Authorities and volunteer searchers on foot and using dogs and helicopters had combed since Monday a network of trails in the rugged forest, trying to find the two teens.

After Cendoya was found Wednesday night, searchers were optimistic that they would find Jack.

They located her near where they found Cendoya.

Cendoya and Jack, both Costa Mesa residents, called authorities at 8:25 p.m. Sunday to say they had gotten lost, said Gail Krause, an Orange County sheriff's spokeswoman.

The cellphone battery wore down and authorities could not get an accurate GPS "ping" from the phone to pinpoint their location, prompting a massive search, said Sheriff's Lt. Erin Giudice.

NASA Earth Observatory

NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of a dust storm from the Gobi Desert that blew across the coastal plain of eastern China in mid-March 2013. This week, California air pollution watchdogs report dust from that storm reached Owens Valley, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada.

Dust from China's Gobi Desert drifted thousands of miles to hang over a central California mountain range this week, according to the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, a California regional government agency that monitors the environment.

The massive dust event on March 10 blew sediment from the Gobi Desert across eastern China, prompting health warnings that pollution levels were dangerously high in the country, according to NASA.

Those particles, which have since dissipated, reached Owens Valley, about 225 miles north of Los Angeles and east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The Air Pollution Control District reported dust was first noticed on March 22. The agency monitors particulates near Owens Lake, which went dry in 1926 after water was diverted from the Owens River to the city of Los Angeles.

AP

Keana Barnes, who was serving a 25-year sentence for manslaughter, escaped from a Louisiana prison but has now been recaptured in Los Angeles. This photo was released Jan. 4, 2013, by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

LOS ANGELES -- A nationwide search for a convicted killer ended in Los Angeles when police spotted a fugitive who has been on the lam for months after escaping prison in Louisiana, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Keana Barnes broke out of the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in January. She was arrested on Monday near Skid Row, some 1,800 miles west of the prison where she was being held.

The U.S. Marshals Service added Barnes to the agency's 15 Most Wanted list 11 days before she was captured. Barnes initially refused to give the officers her name, but ultimately confessed her identity.

Prison officials discovered the window was broken in Barnes’ cell. She was serving a 25-year sentence after being convicted of two counts of manslaughter in 2002, U.S. Marshals officials said.

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Authorities said Barnes’ “extremely violent criminal history” dates back to 1999. She has prior convictions of aggravated assault, battery, theft and manslaughter.

In 2002, Barnes fatally stabbed one victim 17 times, U.S. Marshals officials said.

While awaiting the outcome of her murder trial, Barnes allegedly shot and killed a man while he slept in 2003, authorities said.