Charles Morton

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. …“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.