The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A man’s body was found in an area frequented by illegal immigrants that was ravaged by recent wildfires, and his death may be the eighth directly attributed to the fires, authorities said Monday.
The cause of death had not been determined, but “it appears to be involved with the fire,” said James Buckley, an investigator with the San Diego County medical examiner’s office.
A humanitarian group that patrols near the border found the body near Tecate Peak in a rugged area often used by people crossing illegally into the United States, Buckley said.
“There were groups (of illegal immigrants) moving through there at the time of the fire,” he said.
Seven deaths, including those of four suspected illegal immigrants found near the border, have been directly attributed to the fires. Seven others involving evacuees have been indirectly linked to the blazes.
The two weeks of wildfires destroyed more than 2,000 homes from north of Los Angeles to San Diego.