One hiker killed, two safe in Eaton Canyon

A teenage hiker from Los Angeles died at Eaton Canyon Natural Area on Wednesday after falling about 120 feet off a trail above the first waterfall, said the Pasadena Fire Department.

The name of the hiker has not been released, pending notification of next of kin, said Ed Winter, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office. An autopsy has not been completed.

County firefighters were on scene for another injured hiker when the call came in for the fatal fall around 6:11 p.m., said fire officials. They responded along with Pasadena and Altadena authorities.

The hiker was accompanied by other hikers, said Lisa Derderian, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman. This year authorities have seen a high number of injuries and fatalities in Eaton Canyon.

“A lot of social media sites show people how to try and get to the second water fall, which has unpaved and unmarked trails,” Derderian said. “People don’t come dressed for hiking and take for granted what mother nature has in store for people/ They follow what they see [online] and don’t understand the impact.”

In a separate incident, two hikers presumed missing from Eaton Canyon Natural Area on Wednesday walked out of the park on their own, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Searchers spent part of the afternoon seeking two hikers after receiving a tip that they had failed to return from a walk, according to Altadena and Crescenta Valley Station Sheriff’s Sgt. Debra Herman.

Officers later learned the hikers had come out on their own around 5:30 p.m.

-- Adolfo Flores, Times Community News

Twitter: @AdolfoFlores3