Two men were hospitalized after a lightning strike on Arizona's Humphreys Peak, with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) releasing details on a rescue that involved severe weather complications. The office told KTAR News 92.3 FM that the incident began just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday when the victims called for help from the summit. The rescue efforts were hampered by the grounding of all aircraft, including drones, due to lightning, hail, and heavy rain.
Rescue teams set out on foot from the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort, where the Humphreys Peak trailhead is located. One of the victims was able to descend to about 10,650 feet and was found around 2:45 p.m. "He reported that the other injured hiker had been unable to continue and had stopped near the saddle between Humphreys and Agassiz Peaks, roughly 0.7 miles farther up the trail at 11,800 feet," according to a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix. This man, a Flagstaff local, reportedly refused transportation and was later taken to the Flagstaff Medical Center by his wife.
The second victim, found around 3:45 p.m. by a different rescue team, was unable to hike off the mountain due to his injuries and the steep terrain. He was carried down using low-angle rope techniques and a stretcher in what CCSO described as a "litter carry-out." His condition at the time was not disclosed, but he was transported to the hospital by Guardian Medical. The victims, one from Flagstaff and the other from Canada, were not previously acquainted.
Meanwhile, as the rescue was underway, CCSO received a separate call about two teenagers who had gotten lost after reportedly encountering a bear off the Agassiz Trail. A team found the teens unharmed, they were assessed by medics and reunited with their parents, the sheriff's office reported.
CCSO spokesman Jon Paxton urged hikers to be aware of changing weather conditions, especially when above the tree line where the risk of lightning strikes increases. "Once you reach a point up there, you clear the tree line, you are the tallest thing on the ground up there," Paxton told KTAR News 92.3 FM. He advised that hikers should turn back when they see clouds forming or hear thunder for their safety.
