One Hiker Dead, Second in Critical Condition after Heat Emergency

BORREGO SPRINGS - One hiker died and another was in critical condition after requiring a rescue on Palm Canyon Trail in Borrego Springs amid

extreme desert heat early this afternoon.

It was so hot, a firefighter also required rescuing, Cal Fire San Diego spokesman Capt. Frank LoCoco said.

The evacuation operation began around 12:40 p.m. Saturday, when the low-humidity heat rose to about 115 degrees. Worsening matters, the canyon

walls trap in the heat, creating hot-box conditions in some places.

``Two hikers were in distress and needed rescue, unfortunately, one of those hikers succumbed to that heat illness and was declared deceased at

the scene and the other was transported to the hospital in critical condition,'' LoCoco told CBS8.

A Borrego Springs firefighter collapsed in the heat attempting rescuing the hikers, LoCoco told the station. The condition of the firefighter was not released.

``We still also can succumb to the heat, so we are rigorously trying to maintain hydration,'' LoCoco said.

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