HI Firefighters Rescue Man atop Dormant Volcano

June 11, 2019

Hawaii County firefighters rescued the man, who broke his leg while taking photos at the 12,500-foot level of Mauna Kea, rotated carrying the rescue stretcher.

Source The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Hawaii County firefighters rescued a man who broke his leg while trying to take photos atop Mauna Kea on Monday night.

A man in his 60s had to be rescued Monday night after suffering an apparent femur fracture while taking photos on a trail below the W.M. Keck Observatory atop Mauna Kea.

Hawaii County Fire Department officials said rescuers worked tirelessly to rescue the man despite cold temperatures and altitude sickness.

Unstable terrain gave away while the man was trying to take a photograph about a mile from the nearest trail at 12,500 feet above sea level with temperatures in the 30s, officials said today.

“There was no marked trail beyond the trail head and the terrain was uneven and dangerous,” HCFD said in a news release.

At 7:26 p.m., HCFD sent four units and 17 personnel with the first unit arriving on the scene at 9:45 p.m. It took them about 30 minutes to hike a mile from the trail head to reach the man.

After locating the man, six rescue personnel rotated by carrying the patient in a rescue stretcher. As a result of the high altitude, rescuers could only carry the man for about 10 feet at a time before stopping to catch their breath.

It took about 3½ hours for rescuers to navigate the 1-mile distance and 700 feet elevation gain while carrying the man.

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