The Phoenix Fire Department is again reminding hikers of the dangers of heading out in extreme heat. The department rescued a group of 11 from a closed trail in South Mountain Park and Preserve over the weekend.
The family of five adults and six children was rescued around noon on Sunday. Children in the group had been showing signs of heat exhaustion. A 9-year-old and an 11-year-old had to be carried down the mountain in the fire department’s big wheel rescue carts. None of the hikers needed to be transferred to a hospital.
The high temperature Sunday was 114 degrees and there was an Extreme Heat Warning in effect. During those warnings, the Echo Canyon and Cholla trails on Camelback Mountain, the Piestewa Peak Summit trail, and three trails on South Mountain are closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Fire Department says there were multiple signs noting the closures on the South Mountain Holbert Trail, where the family was rescued.
The rescue comes almost exactly a year after the death of a 10-year-old boy who had been hiking in 113-degree heat on South Mountain.
The Fire Department reports it rescues more than 200 hikers per year from Phoenix trails, but says trail closures during Extreme Heat Warnings have reduced the number of heat-related rescues on trails since the program took effect in 2021.
Hikers can sign up for alerts about heat warnings and trail restrictions through the Phoenix Parks and recreation website.
