Phoenix fire crews respond to 5 heat-related mountain rescues Sunday

PHOENIX — Crews with the Phoenix Fire Department were busy assisting hikers affected by the heat Sunday morning.

Capt. Jake Van Hook, a spokesman with the department, said in an email that four rescue calls were dispatched within a period of about an hour and a half.

The first call was reported around 9:15 a.m. Van Hook said a 33-year-old male was experiencing heat-related issues while hiking the Cholla Trail on Camelback Mountain.

The hiker suffered an injured ankle and was overheated. Crews used a big wheel operation to rescue him from the trail and eventually transported him to a local hospital.

The second call came around 9:30 a.m. It involved a 43-year-old female who was suffering from heat-related issues and vertigo after running out of water.

She was rescued from the Pima Canyon Trail at South Mountain after crews gave her an IV. Van Hook said she was able to walk down the trail with assistance and was not transported to a hospital.

Van Hook said the third rescue call came around 9:45 a.m., when two adults were overheated and “feeling distressed” while hiking in the Deems Hill Recreation Area. The hikers were able to walk down the trail without assistance after resting and re-hydrating.

The fourth rescue call came around 10:45 a.m., when a 14-year-old female was experiencing heat-related issues while using a four-wheel drive vehicle near Dove Valley Road and North Valley Parkway. She was with her parents. Crews were able to assist her and her family in walking down the trail.

Van Hook said there were no reports of any injuries to rescuers.

But the Phoenix Fire Department was not the only one involved in rescuing hikers on Sunday: An injured hiker on the Sunrise Trailhead in north Scottsdale was helped off the mountain by a helicopter, ABC 15 reported. The hiker was in stable condition.

Then, a little after 7 p.m., Phoenix Fire used a helicopter to rescue an adult male hiker who was out of water on the southwest portion of South Mountain Park. Van Hook said the man had severe cramping and showed signs of dehydration.

He was taken to the hospital.

The Phoenix Fire Department had responded to 125 mountain rescues as of July 1, the TV station reported.

An Excessive Heat Warning was in effect starting on Monday. Phoenix was expected to record temperatures as high as 118 degrees by Tuesday.

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