44 hikers rescued following trek in metro Phoenix area
Aug 23, 2019, 7:05 PM | Updated: Aug 24, 2019, 12:45 pm
PHOENIX – Authorities say that 44 hikers needed to be rescued because of heat related illness, while two were flown out via helicopter after their group attempted to climb a mountain trail in the desert near metro Phoenix.
The Superstition Fire & Medical District said several hikers were overcome Thursday by the heat, which reached 106 degrees in nearby Apache Junction.
The district said rescue personnel and Lost Dutchman State Park rangers helped most of the hikers walk back to the park from a trail on an adjacent national forest.
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Earlier in the week temperatures reached 113 degrees on Tuesday Aug. 20, and 114 on Wednesday Aug. 21. which broke records for those dates.
The group did not begin their hike until 3 p.m. and they were advised against making the trek at that time of the afternoon, “but they insisted” said State Parks spokeswoman Michelle Thompson.
SFMD, PCSO and DPS responded to Lost Dutchman State Park last night to assist a group of forty-four hikers out of the wilderness area of the park. Several of the hikers were overcome with heat. Two of the hikers were evacuated by DPS Ranger Helicopter. pic.twitter.com/kp2Ak9uDyg
— SFMD (@sfmd_az_gov) August 23, 2019
The heat in Arizona is no joke! We advised against this hike. Please listen to rangers and don’t hike during the heat of the day or if you are not prepared with enough water. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are scary. https://t.co/VGyxTloPTy
— Arizona State Parks (@AZStateParks) August 23, 2019
Thompson said the hikers were not from Arizona and belonged to a fitness group.
