By Colleen Shalby
Daily Pilot
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — More than two dozen people were rescued Saturday during a record-breaking heat wave as temperatures climbed to the high 90s in parts of Southern California.
In Orange County, at least 15 people were rescued for heat-related issues throughout the day, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Thanh Nguyen.
That included a group of 11 people in distress who were rescued from one of the trails in Newport Coast, Nguyen said. Two were transported to a local hospital, five were evaluated but declined further help, and four experienced heat exhaustion, he said.
In Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park in the San Joaquin Hills, four hikers were rescued as the temperature spiked to 96 degrees. Three of the hikers were affected by the heat, Nguyen said, including one who was airlifted from the area.
“Unless you ‘ve trained for heat and this tough terrain, we strongly encourage everyone to wait until it cools down, " Nguyen said.
In Riverside County nine people were rescued in heat-related incidents.
Rescues occurred in Temecula, Palm Desert, Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley, La Quinta and the unincorporated area of Lake Elsinore, according to CalFire / Riverside County Fire Department. A dehydrated hiker was rescued at Big Bear Canyon Loop and Ortega Highway Saturday afternoon as the temperature hit 99 degrees. The hiker was airlifted from the area, according to officials, and transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
In Los Angeles, a hiker who suffered from heat exhaustion was airlifted from the Hollywood Hills Saturday morning, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Griffith Park rangers notified law enforcement about the hiker, a 55-year-old woman, near the Cahuenga Peak trail between the Hollywood sign and Wisdom Tree. The woman was transported to a local hospital after paramedics assessed her condition as weak, LAFD public service officer Lyndsey Lantz said.
The heat wave was expected to give way to May gray skies early this week, according to the National Weather Service .
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