JACUMBA, Calif. (KGTV) – A mountain biker died after helping search for four hikers in the Carrizo Gorge area of the Jacumba Mountains on Saturday.
At 2:45 p.m., Cal Fire San Diego received a call about four hikers without food or water experiencing dehydration and heat-illness-related symptoms in the area of Carrizo Gorge.
Cal Fire said four mountain bikers had come across the hikers. Two of the bikers rode out to give Cal Fire crews the coordinates for where the hikers were, while the other two bikers stayed behind with the hikers.
Cal Fire dispatched a helicopter to fly the hikers out of the area, and they declined to go to the hospital after being rescued.
The two remaining bikers rode back up, but at one point they got separated, and only one made it back, authorities said. Rescue crews went back about a quarter of a mile and found the remaining biker unresponsive.
Cal Fire said crews carried the biker out and placed him in an ambulance. Sometime during the ride to the hospital, medics began performing CPR, but he was pronounced dead a short time later.
"A huge thank you to the bystanders that were able to lead the firefighters and rescue helicopter into where the patients were in this very rugged and remote area. Please remember to bring an adequate amount of water and food if you are enjoying our backcountry and try to plan activities earlier in the day when the temperatures are cooler. Also, hike in a group and let friends and family know where you’ll be and what time you expect to finish," Cal Fire said in a statement on Facebook.
