A body was found in the Olivas Fire area near Ventura on Wednesday, authorities said, with the death apparently a result of the fire.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office was notified by fire officials shortly after 12 p.m. about human remains found in the vicinity of the fire, said Capt. Cyrus Zadeh late Wednesday afternoon.
The fire broke out in the Santa Clara River bottom near Olivas Park Drive and Harbor Boulevard shortly before 8 a.m. The site, near Ventura’s Olivas Links golf course, includes areas under the jurisdiction of Ventura and Oxnard police departments as well as unincorporated county land overseen by the sheriff’s office.
Residents of a homeless encampment near the fire were evacuated Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The initial investigation found the fire was to blame for the fatality, Zadeh said, although the manner and cause of death will be determined by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. There was no sign of foul play, the captain said.
There was no information immediately available about the person who died, including age or gender, Zadeh said.