Missing hikers rescued from Angeles National Forest

Four hikers reported missing in the Angeles National Forest area north of La Cañada Flintridge early Tuesday were rescued by search-and-rescue team members around 7:30 a.m. the same day, according to an official at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station.

At around 12:30 a.m., sheriff’s deputies were notified by a family member that two 18-year-old men, along with a 20-year-old woman and another man, aged 61, had left for a hike at 10 a.m. on Monday and had not returned home, said Watch Commander Lt. Randy Tuinstra.

“They were supposed to be home by a certain time, and after a while, the family filed a missing person’s report,” he said Tuesday morning.

Two patrol units were sent to search the general vicinity, identified by the reporting family member. At around 3 a.m., a ground patrol unit located the group’s car parked in a lot near the Switzer Falls area near mile marker 34.1 of the Angeles Crest Highway.

“When the car was found and they weren’t located near their car, that’s when we activated our search-and-rescue team,” Tuinstra reported.

Montrose Search and Rescue Team members embarked on an aerial patrol, but it wasn’t until a ground unit saw smoke issuing from a fire the hikers had built to keep warm that their exact location became known.

The group had settled in a canyon area, where they endured near-freezing temperatures for hours before being airlifted from the scene. Experienced hikers, at least one possessed materials for building a fire, Tuinstra said.

No injuries were reported, and the hikers were allowed to return to their homes.