OAKLAND — One person died early Monday after a fire broke out at a homeless encampment West Oakland.

Crews responded just before 5:25 a.m. to the blaze, which appears to be in the 2600 block of Northgate Avenue, just north of Sycamore Street. Fire officials were not available immediately to comment. A yellow tarp at the scene covered the body.

The person is believed to be an adult male.

The fire gutted a makeshift shack, and burned other debris in the area. The homeless encampment is underneath a freeway overpass and near BART tracks.

It is one of the largest encampments in the city and there have been other fires there in the past. Shawn Moses, who lives in a wooden structure two spots away from the burned one, said he heard “explosions and a bunch of popping” before he saw the flames.

Moses, a 4-year resident of the camp, said the man he knew as “Kilo” had lived there about three years and was well-known in the area. About two years ago, a tent the man lived in on nearby Sycamore Street caught fire, Moses said.

“It’s hitting too close to home,” he said.

Residents of the camp plan to hold a memorial at 6 p.m. Monday.

The cause of the fire was not known. Oakland police homicide detectives responded as part of department protocol.

Check back for updates.

Staff writer David DeBolt contributed to this report.