Three Hikers Die on Mount Baldy Amid High Winds

Three hikers were found dead Monday evening on a remote trail in Southern California's Mount Baldy after high winds thwarted rescue efforts following a report of a 19-year-old's fall, authorities said.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department received a call around 11:30 a.m. from a friend who had been hiking with the teenager. The caller reported that the 19-year-old had tumbled approximately 500 feet down a steep mountainside near the Devils Backbone Trail, a narrow ridge with sharp dropoffs on the San Gabriel Mountains peak. The friend hiked to an area with cellular service and provided GPS coordinates to guide search teams.

Rescue crews, including ground searchers and a sheriff's air rescue helicopter, responded promptly. During an aerial search, deputies located the injured hiker and spotted two other individuals nearby. However, powerful Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching up to 70 miles per hour in the region, prevented the helicopter from landing or conducting a hoist operation. A second attempt several hours later also failed due to the weather.

Around 7:30 p.m., an air medic was lowered from the helicopter to the site and confirmed that all three people had died....