Published: June 23,2014
Search and rescue crews combing California's Los Padres National
Forest for missing firefighter Mike Herdman received a glimmer of hope
Sunday, after a hiker found Herdman's dog Duke more than a week after
the pair vanished into the wilderness.
Duke was recovered in the parking lot where Herman, 36, and his friend Taylor Byars, first departed for the camping trip. Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Don Aguilar told the Los Angeles Times that search and rescue teams had caught glimpses of the dog while searching for Herman, but couldn't seem to catch the German shorthair mix. Duke was last spotted three days ago, more than 12 miles from where he was eventually recovered. The dog was in good health, Aguilar said.
But search crews had hoped that the dog would lead them to Herdman, who, according to Byars, had run after Duke barefoot and ill-equipped after the dog had scampered away from the pair's campsite on June 13. Byars said that it took him two days to hike out of the remote area and report Herdman's disappearance to police, who have been searching ever since, ABC News reports.
Even with the news of Duke's recovery, Aguilar said Sunday that search efforts would be scaled back substantially, even while insisting that the search was still considered a rescue and not a recovery. The area where Herdman went missing, north of Fillmore, California is considered some of the most rugged and treacherous terrain in the state, ABC News reports. Five people have been injured in the search efforts alone, including one that was bitten by a rattlesnake and remains in intensive care.
For more than 5,000 hours searchers have combed more than 50-square-miles of terrain looking for Herdman, according to the Associated Press. Two drones, a helicopter and infrared cameras have also been used in search efforts.
Despite the odds, Herdman's friends and family remain positive that the firefighter's outdoor experience will help him survive the treacherous conditions.
"We are all expecting to see Mike come over the hill behind us and be surprised to see us all here," Herdman's friend Michael Macgregor told ABC News. "I have no doubt that he can survive out there for weeks."
MORE: Wildfires Rock San Diego Area
Duke was recovered in the parking lot where Herman, 36, and his friend Taylor Byars, first departed for the camping trip. Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Don Aguilar told the Los Angeles Times that search and rescue teams had caught glimpses of the dog while searching for Herman, but couldn't seem to catch the German shorthair mix. Duke was last spotted three days ago, more than 12 miles from where he was eventually recovered. The dog was in good health, Aguilar said.
But search crews had hoped that the dog would lead them to Herdman, who, according to Byars, had run after Duke barefoot and ill-equipped after the dog had scampered away from the pair's campsite on June 13. Byars said that it took him two days to hike out of the remote area and report Herdman's disappearance to police, who have been searching ever since, ABC News reports.
Even with the news of Duke's recovery, Aguilar said Sunday that search efforts would be scaled back substantially, even while insisting that the search was still considered a rescue and not a recovery. The area where Herdman went missing, north of Fillmore, California is considered some of the most rugged and treacherous terrain in the state, ABC News reports. Five people have been injured in the search efforts alone, including one that was bitten by a rattlesnake and remains in intensive care.
For more than 5,000 hours searchers have combed more than 50-square-miles of terrain looking for Herdman, according to the Associated Press. Two drones, a helicopter and infrared cameras have also been used in search efforts.
Despite the odds, Herdman's friends and family remain positive that the firefighter's outdoor experience will help him survive the treacherous conditions.
"We are all expecting to see Mike come over the hill behind us and be surprised to see us all here," Herdman's friend Michael Macgregor told ABC News. "I have no doubt that he can survive out there for weeks."
MORE: Wildfires Rock San Diego Area
A wildfire burns along the hillside on Wednesday, May 14, 2014, in San Marcos, Calif. (AP Photo)
No comments:
Post a Comment