May 22--MORGAN HILL -- A helicopter plucked one person off the face of Anderson Reservoir's dam, and two more were helped down after they got stuck Thursday afternoon, effectively embodying why climbing the dam is prohibited, authorities said.
Firefighters with the Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit were alerted to a distress call just before 2 p.m. involving three people who found themselves stranded on the 240-foot Morgan Hill dam, Battalion Chief Brandon Leitzke said.
"They got in a position they can't get out of," Leitzke said as the rescue was under way. "They're OK; they just can't get back down."
Fire engines from Cal Fire, Morgan Hill and the South Santa Clara County Fire District responded along with a Cal Fire helicopter. The San Jose Fire Department's Urban Search-and-Rescue team was also called.
Rescuers used the helicopter to hoist one of the hikers to safety, and the other two were brought down to safety using ropes and ground-based crews.
That might not be the end of their ordeal though: Climbing the dam is not allowed.
"I'm sure someone will be talking to them at some point," Leitzke said.
Contact Robert Salonga at 408-920-5002. Follow him at Twitter.com/robertsalonga.
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