10-year-old boy dies after being rescued from Arizona hiking trail in heat

A 10-year-old boy has died in Arizona after being rescued from South Mountain, prompting authorities to warn of the dangers of hiking in extreme heat, fire officials confirmed to Fox News Digital.

According to Phoenix Police Department Public Affairs Sergeant Brian Bower, crews were called shortly before 3 p.m. local time Tuesday to the Mormon Trailhead on South Mountain, a mountain range located in central south Phoenix.

Authorities said a boy suffered heat-related illnesses while hiking along the trail.

Footage obtained by FOX 10 showed a helicopter evacuating the child from the trail.

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The boy was airlifted from the Phoenix Trailhead on Tuesday.

Authorities said they found the boy about a mile down the trail and he was airlifted down the mountain before being taken to a hospital.

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“Police helicopter pilots assisted firefighters in a mountain rescue operation and airlifted the 10-year-old victim from the mountain to a waiting ambulance,” Bower said.

Firefighters previously said initial reports indicated the boy had been on the trail for several hours, possibly since mid-morning, before crews were called.

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In an updated statement, police said the boy was taken to hospital in critical condition and later died from a heat-related medical event.

“Further details about what led to this tragic incident are under investigation,” police said.

The child, identified as a 10-year-old boy, was found about a mile further down the trail.

The heat-related incident comes as Arizona – and much of the United States – has been hit by stifling levels of heat.

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Phoenix is under a severe weather alert due to extreme heat, according to National Weather Service officials.

The maximum temperature reached 113 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, 6 degrees above average.

Parts of the United States, including Arizona, are under heat warnings or advisories as relentless, record-breaking temperatures continue to hit western and southern states.

Phoenix officials are urging residents and visitors to be aware of the difficulty level of some South Mountain trails.

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“Some of these trails on South Mountain are pretty challenging. They’re pretty long, and if you’re an inexperienced hiker, maybe coming from out of town, you might not be aware of the level of difficulty or how difficult they are,” DuBois said.

Source of the original article: 10-year-old boy dies after being rescued from Arizona hiking trail in heat