2 Rescued by Helicopter in Griffith Park Had Gone Off Trail

Two people climbing a steep Griffith Park hill Sunday morning had to be rescued when they couldn't go any further -- nor back downhill. An emergency call came in shortly before 10 a.m., prompting a large array of resources, including two helicopters.

"They got to a point where they couldn't function," said Shawn Lenske, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson, about the two male climbers near Griffith Observatory.

In all, three fire engines, one fire truck, two ambulances, two helicopters, and one brush patrol vehicle were initially dispatched, totaling at least 30 fire department personnel.

Rescuers on the ground determined it would take too long to repel down the hill so an air rescue was put into play. The two men were hoisted onto a helicopter, which rendezvoused with an ambulance on the ground. No injuries were reported.

"[T]his is something that could have been avoided," wrote a commenter, who claimed to witness the event, on Hollywood Patch. "It poses a threat not just to the hikers but to the rescue personnel too."

Earlier this month: 3 Hikers Rescued by Helicopter in Griffith Park

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