Rescue Of Stranded Hiker Near Corona Prompts Airport Closure

CORONA, CA — A man became lost and stranded near Corona Municipal Airport, prompting a rescue operation that involved use of a remote-controlled drone to find him and closure of the airport, authorities said Thursday.

Corona Fire Department personnel received reports of a person shouting for help in Prado Reservoir, just north of the airport, shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Battalion Chief Brandon Wilson told City News Service that fire crews went to the airport and staged adjacent to the lone runway to sort out who was in distress.

Police officers joined the operation, and first responders were soon able to detect a man "yelling for help out in the vegetation," Wilson said.

He said that the police department deployed its unmanned aerial vehicle in an attempt to spot exactly where the stranded party was, while firefighters hiked into the reservoir.

The drone deployment prompted the city to temporarily shut down flight operations at the airport.

"Units located the individual and determined he was lost and in need of some water," Wilson said.

The rescue operation wrapped up shortly after 4 p.m.

"The person was not in need of medical treatment and was not transported to the hospital," the battalion chief said. "After Corona fire units cleared the airport, it was reopened."

The identity of the victim was not disclosed, and there was no word on why he was attempting to hike through the dense brush surrounding the airfield.