Cause of Fire Sought in Deadly Car Crash

ORLANDO, Fla. —  Investigators were trying to determine Friday how a fire started in a car that crashed into a home, killing a man and his two children.

Shahab Behzadpour, 46, crashed his Ford Crown Victoria into a pillar of his in-laws’ home in Altamonte Springs on Christmas Day, police said. The car exploded into a fireball, killing Behzadpour, his 6-year-old daughter, Nikki, and his 3-year-old son, Sammi.

Neither the car nor the suburban Orlando house were badly damaged by the crash itself, raising questions about whether the fire had been set inside the car before the crash, said Altamonte Springs police spokesman Jack Harrison.

Behzadpour was supposed to have turned the children over to his estranged wife. Investigators did not say whether the crash was deliberate.

Meanwhile, details emerged about the bitter divorce between Behzadpour and his wife, Hope.

The two had gone before a judge earlier this month to argue over who could be with the children on Christmas Day. The judge ordered that they split Christmas with the children.

Earlier in the year, Hope Behzadpour had sought a protective injunction against her husband, saying she feared for herself and her children. A judge denied the request in September, saying there was not enough evidence.