Fire victim found dead in mountain cave

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A group of volunteer searchers found another dead victim of the Southern California wildfires in a cave high in the mountains.

Juan Carlos Bautista Ocampo from Chiapas in Mexico, is believed to have crossed the border illegally on Oct. 21, the day the Harris Fire began. His six companions were rescued with severe burns.

Volunteers from Desert Angels searched for much of the weekend and discovered the body late Sunday after a grueling hike to 3,000 feet above sea level, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. They remained there overnight to frighten off coyotes and a police helicopter arrived Monday.

The group got involved after the dead man's brother, Armando Bautista, called a Spanish-language radio program. Armando said that his brother, a father of three, had crossed the border several times.

“My brother is a good person, a little bit of a serious guy, but very hard-working,” Armando said. “I just need to know what happened to him.”

The discovery of Bautista's body brings the toll of people directly killed by the fires to eight. Four other victims are believed to be border-crossers camped in a canyon when a fire swept through.