Boy in Serious Condition After Hiking Camelback Mountain in Severe Heat

PHOENIX - Triple digit heat and humidity in the valley did not stop some people from hitting the trails on Echo Canyon, but they were not prepared for the conditions and needed to be rescued.

Crews received two different rescue calls from people on Sunday who ignored the extreme heat warning. Hikers tried to take on Camelback Mountain, but the heat got to them first.

Rescuers said the decision to hike a mountain in July weather was a poor one, because the human body cannot tolerate high heat and exertion.

The first call was from a 39-year-old woman who needed to be walked down the mountain.

Then rescuers helped a family of five from Missouri make it down the mountain.

Captain Tony Muir said the out-of-towners misjudged the Arizona sun. The family began their hike at 9 a.m. when the desert was already hot. Each member had only one bottle of water.

Rescuers said a 13-year-old boy fell down with cramps caused by borderline heat exhaustion or heat stroke, and they flew the boy down from the mountain in a helicopter.

Once closer to the ground, crews said they carried the boy down the mountain on a gurney. They said they tried to hydrate him by giving him multiple IVs, but he was unresponsive. Rescuers said he was not perspiring and his vitals were in critical condition.

The boy was reportedly in serious condition at a local hospital on Sunday.

The boy’s sister was also affected by the heat. Rescuers said she was vomiting the entire way down the mountain.

The intense heat even caused firefighters to take multiple breaks on the trail during the rescue. They also handed out so much water to hikers that they nearly ran out by the end of the rescue.