A person was reportedly killed in a bear attack in Arizona.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said Friday morning that it’s responding to the attack, which happened in the Groom Creek Area of the Prescott National Forest.
It’s unknown what led up to the attack or if the person was alone.
The sheriff’s office said the bear has been killed, but it’s unclear who killed the animal.
People in the area were recently urged to be aware of their surroundings after a bear was seen in a Prescott Valley neighborhood, near a grocery store.
Authorities have not said whether it could have been the same bear involved in Friday’s attack.
The North American black bear is the only bear species in Arizona, according to the National Park Service.
Fatal attacks involving the black bears are rare. According to the nonprofit , which offers education resources about the animals, black bears are involved in fewer than one fatal attack a year.
For those who come in contact with a bear, the National Park Service says to “make yourself as large and imposing as possible” and “make loud noises” to scare the bear away.
“Black bears usually avoid people yet if they start associating people with food, they may become aggressive,” the Park Service says.
