Airlifted To Safety: Sunday's Dramatic L.A. Hiking Rescues
Two rescue missions were successfully executed Sunday to save two separate hiking groups trapped on dangerous mountainsides. A group of young boys was confined to a cliff in Azusa Canyon, while three teenage hikers found themselves in a similar situation in Altadena.
Four boys were hiking Azusa Canyon on Sunday when they got lost between two mountain ridges and found themselves trapped on a steep cliff. One of the boys, a 14-year-old, luckily managed to gain cellphone reception and called 9-1-1. Air-5 Rescue pilots and Emergency Services Detail (Special Enforcement Bureau) paramedic deputies from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department responded to the call and began the rescue effort at 3:40pm, according to a LASD release.
The boys, all Azusa residents, were found north of Azusa near Garcia Canyon Trail, off of Highway 39, Azusa Canyon. By 4:50pm, the boys were all uninjured and airlifted to safety by a LASD Air-5 rescue helicopter. "Those boys were really scared on that cliff. You could see the fear in their faces," said Sheriff's SEB Sergeant Tom Giandomenico, Crew Chief of the rescue. "Pilot Deputies Scott Osborne and Mark Burnett repeatedly positioned the aircraft into place, and one by one, we lowered Paramedic Deputy Hernandez down with the hoist and brought them one at a time into the aircraft."
Another group of hikers trekked into trouble on Sunday in Altadena. One of the three teenage hikers, all from South Pasadena, became trapped on a cliff with a 100-foot drop. A US Forestry Recreation Technician noticed the group was in distress around noon, according to CBS LA, and alerted rescuers. The trapped 19-year-old female was noticeably agitated, "very scared and nearly let go of the cliff to jump into the arms of ESD Paramedic Deputy Ricky Hernandez as soon as he was close enough to reach out to her," said Sheriff’s Sgt. Tom Giandomenico in a press release. She was airlifted to safety.
The other two hikers, a 17-year-old male and an 18-year-old female, were trapped 40 feet above the canyon bottom and were brought down the mountain to safety by ground rescuers. A fourth member of the group, an 18-year-old male, hiked out of the canyon on his own.
Authorities warn hikers to never overestimate their abilities, be prepared, dress warmly, take provisions, not count on a cellphone to work in nature and always tell people where you're going.
