Wrightwood Firefighters Rescue Stranded Individuals in Backcountry Snowstorms

WRIGHTWOOD, CA – Firefighters from Station 14 of the San Bernardino County Fire Department were kept busy with multiple backcountry rescues as significant snowfall in the Wrightwood area complicated travel near mountain communities.

On Tuesday, the firefighters were called to rescue several parties trapped in their vehicles on treacherous or impassible roads. In anticipation of the increase in calls in and around Wrightwood, additional personnel staffed a Snow Cat at Station 14, which proved vital in safely accessing the incidents and enabling safe evacuations in both cases.

One of the incidents involved a search and rescue operation near Jackson Lake, where Los Angeles County Sheriff Search and Rescue requested assistance from Snow Cat 14. The crew traveled multiple miles to locate and evacuate three adults and a dog after their vehicle became stuck in a ditch. To reach the victims, the firefighters had to cut multiple trees with chainsaws along the route. Once the crew arrived, they assessed the victims, who were thankfully cold but uninjured, and brought them and the LA County Search and Rescue staff back to the incident command post.

In another incident near Gobblers Knob, southeast of Wrightwood and north of Lytle Creek, crews were called to locate and evacuate two adults who became stuck on a remote road. The snow was so thick that crews had to plow multiple miles to make access to the stranded victims. Fortunately, both parties were found to be non-injured and were safely rescued.

The new Snow Cat at Station 14 proved to be a valuable addition to the team, enabling the firefighters to reach remote and snow-covered areas to provide assistance to those in need. With more snow expected in the coming days, the crew is ready to respond to any further calls for help in and around the Wrightwood area.