Firefighters busy rescuing injured, wayward hikers on Oahu

Honolulu firefighters rescued an Ewa Beach woman who twisted her ankle near the summit of the Pu‘u Ma‘eli‘eli Trail in Kaneohe this afternoon.

The 911 call for an injured hiker came in at 1:08 p.m., according to the Honolulu Fire Department, which responded with five units and 16 personnel. The first firefighters arrived at 1:14 p.m. and began hiking up.

They found the injured, 49-year-old woman about 25 minutes later and airlifted her to the landing zone at Ahuimanu Community Park. She was transferred to the care of Emergency Medical Services.

The woman, however, also reported that she had been separated from her 13-year-old daughter. Police who conducted a check found her waiting in her mom’s car at the Times Supermarket parking lot.

Firefighters were able to descend the trail and deliver the mother’s belongings to her husband, who had arrived to pick up his daughter.

Early this morning, firefighters also rescued a stranded hiker from Moanalua Valley Trail.

The 911 call came in at 4:52 a.m. for a 26-year-old female hiker from New York who was not able to make it up to her intended destination despite starting at 3 a.m.

A total of five units with 13 personnel responded, and following an aerial search by the Air 1 helicopter, the stranded hiker was located, uninjured.

Air 1 dropped a rescue specialist off at a remote landing pad, who then hiked down to the stranded hiker. The hiker was then flown to a landing zone at Moanalua Valley Neighborhood Park.

The Moanalua Valley Trail is a lengthy route that many hike to reach the same view seen from the top of the shuttered Haiku Stairs, also known as Stairway to Heaven.

HFD reminds hikers to bring a fully charged cell phone, with an external back-up battery, if possible, along with adequate food, snacks and water.

Hikers should also know their physical abilities and limitations, and select trails that can be enjoyed safely.