Bicyclist Killed in Grizzly Bear Attack While Camping in Montana

getty

A bicyclist camping in western Montana is dead after a grizzly bear attack, according to officials.

The fatal incident occurred on Tuesday around 4:14 a.m. in Ovando, a small town located approximately 74 miles away from the state's capital, according to a news release from Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles.

Roselles confirms to PEOPLE that bear spray was deployed during the attack and the bear fled the area before first responders arrived.

Once at the scene, authorities found a woman suffering from injuries of an apparent bear attack, but attempts to treat her wounds were unsuccessful, according to Roselles.

RELATED: Yellowstone National Park Guide Dies 2 Days After Being Mauled by Grizzly Bear While Fishing

"The Powell County Sheriff's Office along with the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks officers processed the scene and spent several hours searching for the bear involved in the attack, utilizing resources on the ground and in the air," Roselles says in the release. "Search efforts will continue over the next couple days and traps have ben set in the area in case the bear does return."

"Campsites in Ovando have been closed until Sunday and we encourage anyone in the area to be cautious and aware that as of now, the bear has not been located," he adds.

The victim, whose identity has not been released by authorities, was part of long-distance cycling group camping in the area, local newspaper The Independent Record reported.

Though grizzly bears are common in the area, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Park spokesperson Greg Lemon told the outlet that unprovoked bear attacks are not.

"This isn't normal bear behavior, and it's the kind we want to address right away," Lemon said. "Most of the time when we have grizzly-human encounters that result in injury, most of the time the bear is doing normal bear stuff — protecting food resources, protecting cubs or a surprise encounter. This doesn't really apply in this situation, where somebody was camping at night."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

The bear was captured on surveillance camera footage from a local business on Monday and had raided a chicken coop prior to the attack, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Park said in a news release.

According to Roselles, the bear visited the campsite several times and left, but later returned and attacked the camper, the Associated Press reported.

In the wake of the attack, wildlife officials plan on killing the bear once the animal is found, Lemon told The Independent Record.

"We have a bear roaming around town, that had already hit a chicken coop, so our response is different than if it was normal bear behavior," he said.