Trending Topics

Video: San Francisco crews rescue woman stranded on rocks below cliff

Firefighters rappelled down a cliff near the Cliff House to reach a barefoot woman trapped above the surf

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco fire crews rescued a woman Wednesday who had gone over a cliff and was stuck on the rocks with waves crashing below.

It was not immediately known how the unidentified woman ended up clinging to the rocks by the Cliff House, a well-known landmark perched above Ocean Beach on the city’s northwestern side. The area is hugely popular with locals and tourists who enjoy hiking near the Lands End lookout overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

| RESOURCE: Functional fitness for the frontlines: Weekly workout plan

The San Francisco Fire Department said in a statement the woman had gone over the cliff and became stuck on the rocks. They didn’t immediately provide more details. She was wearing a bikini and no shoes.

Television news helicopters captured the dramatic scene as the woman held onto the rocks as ocean waves lapped below and a firefighter climbed toward her after rappelling down the rocks. The rescuer reached the woman and harnessed her in ropes and a helmet before beginning to move her up toward the roadway.

Minutes later she was safely atop the cliff and in an ambulance headed to a hospital.

The Cliff House building is owned by the National Park Service. A restaurant inside the building has been shuttered since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trending
Tips for the unique challenges of accessing and extricating patients from recreational trails
The new World Trade Center Retired Responders Memorial Wall honors 154 retired FDNY members who assisted in rescue and recovery efforts after Sept. 11 and later died from WTC-related illnesses
Shippensburg Area EMS uses a paramedic interceptor model to provide ALS across a wider area, but officials say the program creates reimbursement and funding challenges
“Dancing with Death” shares personal stories of fentanyl overdoses and addiction as organizers work to raise awareness