CARLSBAD — The badly burned body discovered in the Poinsettia Fire in mid-May has been identified as 47-year-old Adolfo Velasco, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The body was found by firefighters during a hot spot check in a transient encampment near Ambrosia Lane and Calliandra Road.
The Medical Examiner’s Office is still completing its investigation into whether the fire caused Velasco’s death, according to Julio Estrada, the supervising medical examiner investigator.
Velasco’s remains have been turned over to his family members.
Velasco is the only reported death involving the May fires throughout San Diego County.
The Poinsettia Fire began as a brush fire on May 14 and burned 600 acres in four days.
The fire caused approximately $12 million of structural damage, including the destruction of five homes, 18 apartment units, and one commercial building.
The cost to fight the fire is estimated at $12 million. Carlsbad is currently seeking emergency grants from the state and federal governments to recover the cost.
