Firefighters locate father, two sons on Kula hiking trail

A Maui father and his two young sons were rescued from a hiking trail at Polipoli Spring in Kula Thursday.

Maui officials said firefighters from Kula were contacted at Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area at 6:05 p.m. by the man’s wife, who had been trying unsuccessfully to reach her family by telephone after they were overdue. Frefighters were in the recreation area on another call for lost hikers, who had been located.

Hunters reported hearing someone calling out in the woods, but could not find anyone. The fire department sent out a helicopter with a rescue crew, which located the man, 44, his 6-year-old and 8-year-old sons, and their dog on a boundary trail leading to Kula crews on the ground. They met up with the party and walked them out to the road just before dark, Maui officials said in a press release. No one was injured.