A man, a woman and their two dogs were plucked Wednesday from the snowbound terrain they found themselves trapped in for two weeks.
Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau and Air Rescue 5 helicopter team responded to the call for help near Templin Highway and Interstate 5.
“It was a great hoist rescue,” LASD spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said. “They got snowed in two weeks ago and ran out of food and water.”
The snowbound troop, however, hiked to a spot where they could get cellphone reception and placed a call for help.
“A couple of people got snowed in and found themselves out of food,” said Lt. Leo Bauer of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
“They just got cell service and called,” Bauer said. “We handed it off to Air 5.”
The rescue was carried out in the rugged hilly terrain of the Angeles National Forest.
For two weeks, the couple with their dogs were at the mercy of the elements.
“The campers (were) just rescued after being snowed in their vehicle for 14 days near Alamo Mountain, northwest of Castaic,” Nishida said.
Members of Air Rescue 5, with SEB tactical medics rescued the campers.
“The LASD Air 5 crew hoisted a man, a woman and their two dogs into the aircraft and flew them to safety,” Nishida said.
Snow has been building up in the Grapevine these past couple of weeks with back-to-back storms moving through the area.
The Los Angeles County Health Officer issued a news release early last week to extend a cold weather alert due to the National Weather Service’s forecast for low temperatures.
Wind chill temperatures were expected to be below 32 degrees with affected areas, including the Grapevine.
A spokesman for the ANF was not available, noting the office was “on furlough without access to email due to the lapse in federal government funding.”
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