Remains found late last year in the San Bernardino Mountains have been positively identified as Carlos Baltazar, a U.S. Forest Service firefighter who went missing during the deadly El Dorado fire in 2020, officials confirmed Tuesday.
A death investigation began on Oct. 26, 2024, when a hunter discovered a human skull in the Smarts Ranch Road area north of Cactus Flat near Highway 18.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department confirmed Tuesday that the identification was made in February using DNA.
According to Baltazar’s family, the Hotshots crewmember went missing after his squad boss died while fighting the El Dorado Fire.
“Carlos went to report to the barracks to prepare for the funeral services and was not seen after talking with co-workers … later, his vehicle was found crashed along Highway 18,” a family member posted on a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral expenses.
“He did so much for the community as a Wildland Firefighter and put his life on the line for others. Carlos was always positive, always putting God and his family first,” the post reads.
The deadly, human-caused El Dorado Fire scorched nearly 23,000 acres after erupting on Sept. 5, 2020.
A California couple pleaded guilty after accepting a plea deal to take responsibility for the blaze that was sparked by a gender reveal party gone wrong.
Big Bear Interagency Hotshot Crew Squad Boss Charles Morton was killed fighting the fire.
