Hiker rescued by air

Editor’s note: This corrects the photo credit.

A 48-year-old hiker stranded overnight was rescued by helicopter from the side of a steep cliff between Canyon Acres and Skyline Drive on Wednesday.

Firefighters from the Laguna Beach Fire Department and the Orange County Fire Authority worked together, along with the Laguna Beach Police Department, to rescue the hiker, according to spokesman Dan Stefano.

Rescuers were dispatched at 1:02 p.m. to an area of steep terrain and rough vegetation. They found the hiker, who was in a precarious position, but could not get to her, Stefano said.

“It appears that the hiker may have been stranded there overnight after veering off the identified trails in the area,” Stefano said. “She was in a very bad position and fortunate that a nearby resident heard her calls for help and dialed 911.”

The Fire Authority’s Helicopter 2 responded to firefighters’ calls for assistance, along with an air rescue crew. The helicopter crew lifted the victim out of the area and flew her to a landing zone set up at a field at Thurston Middle School.

The hiker was not injured and refused medical treatment, according to the Fire Department.