Search for 13 hikers where the Royal Fire burned in Placer County

by

Royal Fire: Search for 13 missing hikers as wildfire rages in Placer County, officials say

FROM THAT SCENE. YEAH. THIS IS NOW CONSIDERED AN INCIDENT WITHIN AN INCIDENT WITH THOSE 13 MISSING HIKES BETWEEN THE AGE OF 16 AND 20. I WANT TO BRING IN LIEUTENANT TY CONNORS FROM THE PLACER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SEARCH AND RESCUE POLICY THIS MORNING. WHAT’S GOING ON? YEAH. WHEN WE GOT THE CALL THAT THERE WERE FOUR VEHICLES FOUND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRE, UH, WE, YOU KNOW, CONTACTED THE VEHICLE OWNERS AND WE WERE ABLE TO FIND OUT HOW MANY CHILDREN OR YOUNG ADULTS. AND ONCE WE HAD NO COMMUNICATION WITH THEM AT ALL. WE WENT AHEAD AND STARTED SEARCHING YESTERDAY NIGHT WITH THE PLANE WHICH HAS A LITTLE, UH, NIGHT VISION AND TRIED IT, BUT WITH ALL THE GRANITE KEEPING THE HEAT IN, THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY HEAT SIGNATURES. SO WHAT WE’RE DOING TODAY IS A SEARCH AND RESCUE, PLACER COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE IS GOING TO THE HEAD OF THE TRAIL AND TRYING TO SEE IF THEY CAN INTERCEPTION THE HIKERS AT THIS TIME. AND YOU SAID THAT THIS IS A RARE HAPPENING WHEN YOU HAVE AN INCIDENT LIKE A FIRE, AND THEN YOU ADD A SEARCH AND RESCUE TO THAT. HOW DO THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES THAT ARE NEEDED FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS COORDINATE AND PLAN TO TRY TO ACCOMPLISH BOTH JOBS? THAT’S THE BIG PART OF BEING UNDER UNIFIED COMMAND RIGHT NOW. WE ARE UNDER UNIFIED COMMAND WITH TODD NATIONAL FOREST, CAL FIRE, AND AGAIN WITH THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE, THAT COMMUNICATION IS VITAL FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SEARCHES DO NOT INTERFERE WITH ANY TYPE OF FIRE TRAFFIC OR THE AIRCRAFT THAT IS FLYING OVER. SO WE ARE AGAIN, IT IS A VERY BIG COORDINATED EFFORT. BUT AGAIN, WE BOTH HAVE HIGH PRIORITIES. OBVIOUSLY CONTROLLING THE FIRE, BUT ALSO FINDING THE HIKES. OKAY. AND FINALLY, WE WENT TO THE MAP HERE. AND YOU’RE GOING TO SHOW US A LITTLE BIT OF WHERE THIS IS ALL GOING ON. WHERE WERE THE HIKERS’ VEHICLES FOUND AND WHERE ARE YOUR EFFORTS FOCUSED AT THIS POINT? HERE ON THE PALISADES CREEK TRAIL. THIS IS THE GENERAL AREA WHERE THE FOUR VEHICLES WERE FOUND. WE UNDERSTAND THEY WENT CAMPING, THIS WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIRE, UH, YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT THE PRIMARY, UH, THE BEGINNING POINT OF THE TRAIL HAS BURNED DOWN. SO WE’RE HOPEING THEY GET OUT. PALISADES CREEK TRAIL TO CASCADE LAKES IS WHERE THE TRAIL ENDS. AND SO WE HAVE UNITS IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE OF THAT. BUT WE’VE NOW BROUGHT IN A SEARCH AND RESCUE PARTY TO COME DOWN. THAT TRAIL TO SEE IF THEY CAN INTERCEPTION. AND WE ALSO HAVE A CHP HELICOPTER AND FALCON 30, THE SHERIFF’S HELICOPTER, FLYING OVER THERE TO SEE IF THEY CAN FIND THEM. WELL, WE’LL GET YOU BACK OUT THERE. WE KNOW IT’S GOING TO BE A BUSY DAY FOR YOU AND YOUR CREW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, LIEUTENANT CONNORS. SO RIGHT NOW, THE ROYAL FIRE HAS FIVE HOMES UNDER EVACUATION ALERT. THAT’S JUST ANOTHER PART OF WHAT THE PLACER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS DEALING WITH. IN ADDITION TO ALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WORKING TO BLOCK THE FLAMES, THEY ARE DOING LIVE REPORTING IN PLACER COUNTY. MELANIE WINGO KCRA THREE NEWS.

Royal Fire: Search for 13 missing hikers as wildfire rages in Placer County, officials say

A search is underway for several hikers who disappeared in the area of ​​a wildfire in Placer County that has issued evacuation warnings. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said officers found four vehicles with 13 hikers between the ages of 16 and 20 in the Royal Fire Zone. A search and rescue operation is now underway. Ty Conners with the sheriff’s office said they contacted the owners of the vehicles to determine how many people were in the vehicles. When they were unable to locate the group of hikers, officials attempted a search Sunday evening using aircraft equipped with both night vision and thermal vision. Conners said the four vehicles were found near the Palisades Creek trailhead, located on the southern edge of the fire zone. The sheriff’s office said the hikers had planned to camp on the other side of the fire zone, but the trailhead was engulfed in flames. The northern trail ends at Cascade Lakes, so Conners said troopers hope to intercept the group as they head south from the lakes. The sheriff’s office said the group is believed to be together. A California Highway Patrol helicopter and a Placer County helicopter are also assisting. The Royal Fire started Sunday in the Tahoe National Forest west of Soda Springs, near Soda Springs Road. Five homes are under evacuation warnings, meaning residents are not required to leave but are advised to do so in case fire conditions become dangerous. Smoke from the fire was visible from Interstate 80 when it first started. As of Monday, the smoke is not as visible, with mostly haze. As of Sunday, the fire has burned 420 acres and is not contained. Containment is not used to measure how much of the fire has been extinguished, but to define how much of a perimeter has been established around the fire area to prevent flames from spreading. The Tahoe National Forest said the cause of the fire is under investigation. | MORE | A 2024 Guide to Preparing for California WildfiresHere are key websites that are important to all California residents during wildfire season.Cal Fire wildfire incidents: Cal Fire tracks its wildfire incidents here. You can sign up here to receive text messages with Cal Fire updates about wildfires happening near your zip code.Wildfires on federal lands: Federal wildfire incidents are tracked here.Preparing for power outages: Ready.gov explains how to prepare for a power outage and what to do when you return from a power outage here. Here’s how to track and report PG&E power outages. Stay informed when you lose power or cell service: Here’s how to find a National Weather Service radio station near you. Prepare for road closures: Download the QuickMap app from Caltrans or check the latest road conditions from QuickMap here.

PLACER COUNTY, California —

A search is underway for several hikers who have gone missing in the area where a wildfire is raging in Placer County, and evacuation warnings have been issued.

According to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, officers found four vehicles belonging to 13 hikers between the ages of 16 and 20 in the Royal Fire Zone. A search and rescue operation is now underway.

Ty Conners with the sheriff’s office said they contacted the owners of the vehicles to determine how many people were in the vehicles. When they were unable to locate the group of hikers, Conners said officials attempted a search Sunday night using aircraft equipped with both night vision and thermal vision.

Conners said the four vehicles were found at the Palisades Creek trailhead, which is on the southern edge of the burned area. The sheriff’s office said the hikers had planned to camp on the other side of the burned area, but the trailhead was engulfed in flames.

The northern trail ends at Cascade Lakes. According to Conners, the agents hope to stop the group as they head south from the lakes.

The sheriff’s office said the group was reportedly together. A California Highway Patrol helicopter and a Placer County helicopter were also assisting.

The Royal Fire started Sunday in the Tahoe National Forest west of Soda Springs, near Soda Springs Road. Five homes are under evacuation warnings, meaning residents are not required to leave but are advised to do so in case fire conditions become dangerous.

Smoke from the fire was visible from Interstate 80 when it started. As of Monday, the smoke is not as visible, with mostly haze.

As of Sunday, the fire has burned 169 acres and is not contained. Containment is not used to measure how much of the fire has been extinguished, but to determine how much of a perimeter has been established around the fire area to prevent flames from spreading.

The Tahoe National Forest reports the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

| MORE | A 2024 Guide to How to Prepare for California Wildfires

Below you will find important websites that are important to all California residents during the wildfire season.

Leave a Comment