Lost Hikers Found In Southington: Firefighters

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Firefighters Sunday evening swarmed a popular hiking/rock climbing destination in search of multiple hikers who reported being lost.

According to Southington Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2033, the department was called to Ragged Mountain in Southington for a report of "lost hikers."

Ragged Mountain is a popular place for rock climbers, but the trail network surrounding it is also popular with hikers.

Trails there represented by the Blue Trail of the New England Scenic Trail, which is a well-traveled path for passive recreation enthusiasts looking for a scenic and vigorous walk/hike.

Later Sunday night, the Southington Fire Department firefighters' union reported the lost hikers were found and returned to safety.

According to SFD Battalion Chief Christian Mastrianni, several fire department units were involved in the rescue effort that happened as darkness was fast approaching.

He said firefighters were first called to Ragged Mountain at about 7:44 p.m."to assist lost hikers in getting out of the woods."

Mastrianni said the SFD deployed two UTV units that are better able to access wooded areas to find folks in distress in wooded areas.

In addition, SFD's Car 4, Squad 5, and Truck 1 were utilized in the search.

According to Mastrianni, crews entered the woods at 150 Carey St. and "were able to locate the hikers at the cliff in about 30 minutes using cellphone GPS coordinates."

He said no civilians or firefighter injuries were reported.

For more information on Ragged Mountain, click on this link.

For more information on the New England Scenic Trail, click on this link.