2 Hikers Rescued East Of Temecula

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Two hikers were injured while trekking in the San Bernardino National Forest north of Anza Monday, requiring Riverside County firefighters and U.S. Forest Service rangers to stage a rescue operation.

The "hikers down" call was received at 12:15 p.m. along Little Thomas Mountain Road, near the Thomas Mountain Campground, roughly a mile west of Highway 74, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

The agency said multiple engine crews, along with USFS personnel, went to search for the hikers, who were located within a couple hundred yards of one another.

Officials said one victim suffered a head injury that caused temporary loss of consciousness, while the other had unspecified minor injuries. Neither was identified.

As of 12:40 p.m., a sheriff's helicopter crew was preparing to perform a hoist rescue and transport the man with the head injury to a makeshift landing zone near Lake Hemet, where a Mercy Air ambulance was slated to arrive around 1 p.m.

Rangers and firefighters were taking the other victim out via a ground vehicle, according to reports from the scene.

There was no immediate word how the hikers became injured.