Arcadia firefighter still missing in Los Padres National Forest
WATCH VIDEO: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has joined the search for missing Arcadia firefighter Mike Herdman in the Los Padres National Forest.
An Arcadia firefighter was still missing in rugged terrain in the Los Padres National Forest, where he was last seen four days ago, authorities said Tuesday night.
Mike Herdman, 36, was setting up a camp with a friend in the Sespe Wilderness area north of Fillmore when he chased after his dog, which had run away, according the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
Sgt. Eric Buschow said Herdman was had no shoes or shirt when he and the dog disappeared.
He said it took two days for the friend to hike out of the area and alert authorities Sunday.
On Tuesday, rescuers found the firefighter’s backpack and footprints, Buschow said, but the boulder-strewn and tree-covered terrain exacerbated the search operation.
“It’s a needle in a haystack,” Buschow told KTLA-TV Channel 5.
Several dozen rescuers on foot and horseback looked for Herdman while a team in a helicopter searched overhead. Search operations were scheduled to resume Wednesday morning.
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