Ramona

A man’s body was found Wednesday by firefighters battling a brush fire east of Ramona, officials said.

The body of Kenneth Perry, 76, was discovered near the 24300 block of California 78. The fire, which began at 11:02 a.m. near where the body was found, burned more than 100 acres of brush on both sides of the highway over six hours, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Although residents in the immediate area were evacuated, no structures were destroyed, sheriff’s deputies said.

“Initial investigations showed that Perry was in the process of conducting a controlled burn,” a sheriff’s spokesman said. Authorities did not know what Perry was burning, only that he had obtained a permit to burn in the area.

Authorities were uncertain whether the controlled burn started the brush fire.