A California Highway Patrol helicopter was needed to rescue four injured National Guard firefighters battling wildfires north of Sacramento in the state's Central Valley.
CAL FIRE officials called for the helicopter to help pull out firefighters who were battling the North Complex West Fire, the CHP stated in an online update. The firefighters had suffered extremity and heat-related injuries.
Before reaching the site, the helicopter crew picked up a Nevada County firefighter and helicopter rescue technician, who helped with the extraction from a mountainside, just north of the Feather River's south fork. The four firefighters were hoisted up to the helicopter and taken to a Butte County ambulance.
“The complexity of this particular rescue is that it was in steep rugged terrain, and it’s also in the fire line,” Matt Calcutt, a paramedic and the helicopter's flight officer, told KOVR-TV. “So there’s all sorts of consideration we have to take in during the call.”
The firefighters were transported to Oroville Hospital, and they are expected to recover, according to the CHP.
“I can’t even begin to describe the conditions that they’re working in. It’s so extreme,” Calcutt told KOVR.
