ST. GEORGE — Multiple agencies converged on Peter’s Leap, a remote area north of Pintura, to rescue a distressed hiker on Thursday afternoon.
Crews from the Hurricane Valley Fire District were dispatched at approximately 12:36 p.m. after receiving reports of an older man who was hiking with a group but unable to continue due to the heat, the agency shared in a Facebook post.
Battalion Chief Tyler Ames told St. George News the man was found in a ravine. Because the landscape was too difficult for off-road vehicles, responders hiked about a quarter-mile from the nearest road to initiate care.
“The heat was definitely a factor for ground crews and the patient,” Ames added. “It was somewhere over 100 degrees at the time the incident was taking place.”
Because of the rugged terrain and remote location, a Department of Public Safety Star 8 helicopter was dispatched. The man was “successfully hoisted” into the aircraft, transported to an ambulance and taken to a hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion, the agency states.
No other injuries were reported.
Ames reminds Southern Utahns to be cognizant of the heat and stay hydrated and out of the sun.
“Never hike alone, and always let someone who is not hiking with you know where you are hiking at and what time you plan on returning,” he said. “We have had an increase of heat-related incidents over the past several weeks involving people out hiking, mountain biking and recreating out at Sand Hollow.”
Other responding agencies included Washington County Sheriff Search and Rescue and Intermountain LifeFlight.
“This incident demonstrated excellent inter-agency collaboration and response,” the post states.
This report is based on statements from records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Photo Gallery
Search and rescue crews assist a man with heat exhaustion in a remote area near Pintura, Utah, July 18, 2024 | Photo courtesy of the Hurricane Valley Fire District, St. George News Search and rescue crews assist a man with heat exhaustion in a remote area near Pintura, Utah, July 18, 2024 | Photo courtesy of the Hurricane Valley Fire District, St. George News Search and rescue crews assist a man with heat exhaustion in a remote area near Pintura, Utah, July 18, 2024 | Photo courtesy of the Hurricane Valley Fire District, St. George News Search and rescue crews assist a man with heat exhaustion in a remote area near Pintura, Utah, July 18, 2024 | Photo courtesy of the Hurricane Valley Fire District, St. George News
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