Emergency responders carried an injured hiker to safety Wednesday evening on a trail near Lake Monroe.
Firefighters responded to a call from the Charles Deam Wilderness Area around 4:30 Wednesday and began trying to locate the injured hiker via cell phone, according to a news release from the Monroe Fire Protection District.
Crews initially deployed a utility task vehicle (UTV) to retrieve the hiker but had to finish the rescue on foot due to the terrain. When reached, the hiker had to be carried out of the forest on a stretcher.
Officials said that darkness fell before the rescue was complete, so firefighters, EMS personnel and DNR officers used flashlights to make their way a mile and a half back to the waiting UTV. The crew also safely carried the hiker's dog out of the forest.
There is no word on the hiker's injuries or condition.
