Highlights
- A woman was rescued halfway up Camelback Mountain Sunday after her core body temperature surpassed 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office helicopter 'Fox 1' hoisted her off the mountain; she was transported to a hospital in critical condition.
- Phoenix will close Echo Canyon and Cholla trails from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday under a National Weather Service Extreme Heat Warning.
- Temperatures above 110 degrees are forecast each day Monday through Friday, with First Alert Weather Days declared for the full stretch.
A woman is in critical condition after Phoenix firefighters rescued her from Camelback Mountain Sunday morning, finding her with a core body temperature above 104 degrees Fahrenheit and in an altered mental state, the Phoenix Fire Department said.
Crew were dispatched around 11 a.m. to the Echo Canyon Trailhead after reports of a hiker in distress. Rescuers located the woman approximately halfway up the mountain. She told them she had become severely overheated and could not continue descending on her own. Because of the terrain and the severity of her condition, first responders used the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office helicopter "Fox 1" to hoist her off the mountain.
At the trailhead, crews began cold water immersion therapy after confirming her core temperature had exceeded 104 degrees. The altered mental state and elevated temperature are both signs of serious heat stroke, according to the Phoenix Fire Department. She was transferred to a waiting ambulance and taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
Fox 10 Phoenix and ABC15 both reported the rescue independently, corroborating the Phoenix Fire Department account.
Why are the trails closing starting Monday?
Starting Monday, the city of Phoenix will close Camelback Mountain's Echo Canyon and Cholla trails, along with several other popular hiking routes, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Thursday. The closures coincide with a National Weather Service Extreme Heat Warning, with a strong ridge of high pressure forecast to push temperatures above 110 degrees each day Monday through Friday.
First Alert Weather Days have been declared for the full Monday-through-Friday period. The trail closure window runs through Thursday.
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 16/08/2026 19:55
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 16/08/2026 19:55. Every claim traces to a source.
