Highlights
- Phoenix firefighters rescued a child suffering heat exhaustion on Camelback Mountain around 11 a.m. Saturday.
- Crews used a single-wheeled stretcher called a 'big wheel' to transport the boy to a waiting ambulance; he arrived at a nearby hospital in stable condition.
- An Extreme Heat Warning remains in effect through Monday, with Saturday's high forecast at 116 degrees and Sunday's at 115.
- Camelback Mountain logged 44 rescues in 2025 as Valley temperatures soared, according to 12News reporting on the surge.
A child is recovering at a Phoenix-area hospital after suffering heat exhaustion Saturday morning on Camelback Mountain, where temperatures were forecast to reach 116 degrees by afternoon.
Phoenix firefighters responded to the Echo Canyon Trailhead around 11 a.m. after reports of a hiker in medical distress, according to Arizona's Family. Crews found the boy hiking with his parents and used a "big wheel", a stretcher with a single wheel attached to the bottom, to carry him down the trail to a waiting ambulance. He was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
The rescue came under an active Extreme Heat Warning covering the Phoenix metro area. Highs Saturday are forecast at 116 degrees; Sunday's high is expected to reach 115 degrees. The warning remains in effect through Monday.
The incident fits a documented pattern on the mountain. 12News reported that Camelback Mountain saw 44 rescues in 2025 as temperatures soared to 117 degrees. A separate AZFamily report from July 25 documented two additional hikers overcome by heat on a Scottsdale trail just one week before Saturday's call.
The Extreme Heat Warning through Monday covers Northwest Valley, Buckeye/Avondale, Deer Valley, and Central Phoenix, per the National Weather Service.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 01/08/2026 20:00
- 12News retrieved 01/08/2026 20:00
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 01/08/2026 20:00
- api.weather.gov retrieved 01/08/2026 20:00
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 01/08/2026 20:00. Every claim traces to a source.
