U.S. Forest Service firefighter Carlos Baltazar was off-duty when he went missing in 2020, officials said. The remains were discovered in October.

Human remains found by a hunter last fall have been identified as a firefighter missing since 2020, California deputies say. The remains found near Cactus Flats in October belonged to Carlos Baltazar, a firefighter with the Big Bear Hotshots, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 11 news release.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner's Department has positively identified the human remains found near Big Bear as those of missing firefighter Carlos Baltazar. Baltazar, a Big Bear Hotshot, was last seen Sept. 20, 2020, the same time the El Dorado Fire was burning in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Authorities positively identified the remains of an off-duty Forest Service firefighter last seen nearly five years ago in the Big Bear area. Carlos Alexander Baltazar, 35, a member of the United States Forest Service Interagency Hotshot Crew,

Human remains found in Big Bear have been identified as firefighter Carlos Baltazar, a Big Bear Hotshot who was last seen Sept. 20, 2020.

Carlos Baltazar vanished during the El Dorado fire. His remains were found 3 miles from his car, which was located on Highway 18.