Harrowing rescuers save people trapped in remote national forest amid dangerous winter weather
Three stranded motorists were rescued after spending a night submerged in snow, battling deadly winter conditions in California's El Dorado National Forest.
Avalanche warnings remain as more snow targets Nevada
FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray is live from Stateline, Nevada, reporting from deep snow as he navigates treacherous conditions. An avalanche warning remains in effect, highlighting the continuing high risk for anyone in the area. Stick with FOX Weather for the latest updates on the conditions:
EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. – A dire emergency in the dead of night triggered a colossal search and rescue effort for three stranded motorists while an intense winter storm shelled California's El Dorado National Forest.
A coalition of first responders were presented a near-impossible task in the treacherous winter weather elements of the Central Sierra Nevada mountains, battling through heavy snow, freezing temperatures and whipping winds in a battle against time to rescue three individuals that spent hours trapped in the desolate wilderness.
Initial information provided to first responders on Feb. 17 detailed two separate parties trapped in roughly six feet of snow on the rugged Mormon Emigrant Trail, an approximately 24.5-mile trail and designated spot for snowmobiling and off-highway vehicles, stretching from Sly Park to Highway 88, that climbs to an elevation over 6,000 feet.
During the winter, the Mormon Emigrant is closed to through traffic, but a large portion of it is open to OHVs and 4-wheel drive highway legal vehicles. An official website said that due to significant snow accumulation, the road is not passable and is closed, though the gate at 88 may still be open. (Courtesy of pollockpines.org)
According to officials, the first individual was trapped approximately six miles north of Highway 88. A second party of two, that launched from the Sly Park side of the trail to rescue the entrapped individual, also became stranded about eight and a half miles north of Highway 88.
Miles along a remote trail and lodged into feet of snow in the high altitudes, both parties spent the freezing night stranded in the wilderness of the El Dorado National Forest. The race against time became all the more crucial when both parties' cell phones died.
Using GPS coordinates, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office identified the location of the stranded motorists and requested outside assistance for the emergency rescue.
With feet of snow proving to be a formidable obstacle to the search and rescue operation, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office requested the deployment of the Amador County Sheriff’s Office Snowcat team to respond to rescue the stranded subjects.
A group of unlikely heroes from a utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), also responded to the request for assistance and deployed a Snowcat team to assist in the dire rescue.
A group of unlikely heroes from a utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, responded to a request for assistance and deployed a Snowcat team to assist in the emergency rescue. (Amador County Sheriff's Office / FOX Weather)
A California Department of Transportation snowplow provided an escort for the team fighting against time to rescue the stranded motorists. Through whiteout conditions and in complete darkness, the team of first responders set out on a race against time in the harshest of elements, and after two and a half hours, they reached the intersection of Mormon Emigrant Trail and Highway 88.
At 2:30 p.m., two Snowcats crewed by first responders and volunteers from the PG&E and the El Dorado and Amador County sheriff's offices ventured into the treacherous wilderness.
Along the brutal trek to the stranded motorists, the Snowcats became stuck several times and required the committed heroes of the search and rescue team to dig the gigantic machines out by hand in near-blizzard conditions in sub-20 degree temperatures. According to officials, the road was never visible, and at points, the snow drifts exceeded the height of the Snowcats themselves.
On the grueling trek through the El Dorado National Forest, the rescue Snowcats battled through mountains of snow. Officials said it took the team six hours to travel six miles in the vicious conditions before reaching the first motorist. (Amador County Sheriff's Office)
According to officials, on a grueling trek through mountains of snow, it took the team six hours to travel six miles in the vicious conditions, finally reaching the lone stranded motorist.
At 8:30 p.m., the team was able to extract the motorist who showed small signs of hypothermia from his vehicle that was buried in snow, and place him into one of the Snowcats.
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The rescue team pressed on to the two remaining motorists, and after trudging on for another two and a half miles, they reached the pair an hour later.
After 15 minutes of frantic digging, the rescue team secured the male and female, with both victims showing signs of hypothermia.
The emergency search and rescue team battled through the harshest of elements. Heavy snow, whipping winds and freezing temperatures prolonged the dire emergency rescue deep into the Mormon Emigrant Trail in the El Dorado National Forrest. (Amador County Sheriff's Office)
The race back to safety started, and using the trail they created on the way to the stranded motorists, the Snowcat team was able to extract all three individuals back to Highway 88 in a fraction of the time.
According to officials, two subjects were transported by CAL FIRE and one subject by Amador Fire Protection District (AFPD) personnel, 17 miles to Cooks Station where American Legion Ambulance (ALA) personnel were waiting. All three subjects were then transported to Sutter Amador Hospital by ALA where they were treated and subsequently released.
The persistent courage and bravery of the coalition of first responders in the hours-long, grueling battle against the elements saved the lives of the three stranded motorists. The harrowing rescue had a happy ending, but not all emergency rescue stories do.
Earlier this week, the second-deadliest avalanche in U.S. history killed eight skiers near Castle Peak, in the same mountain range and weather conditions the heroic first responders battled through to save the stranded motorists.
In a post on Facebook, the Amador County Sheriff's Office wrote, "We want to extend an incredible thank you to PG&E and their operators. Their generosity in providing a second Snowcat and technical skill were critical to the success of this mission. We also want to thank our partners at Cal-Trans, CAL FIRE, AFPD, ALA and the USFS for their support and standby assistance."