PHOENIX — A woman is in a Valley hospital fighting for her life after being rescued off of Piestewa Peak as the City of Phoenix saw another day of record-breaking heat, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.
PFD told 12News that crews were called at about 12:45 p.m. on Saturday after a hiker found a woman on the trail at Piestewa Peak about 200 yards from the parking lot.
Firefighters were able to hike up and pull the woman down the mountain using a big wheel. She was then taken to a hospital in critical condition.
"The incident does appear to be heat related," PFD told 12News.
This rescue comes as Phoenix saw recording-breaking heat for the fourth straight day. The temperature hit 109 degrees at Sky Harbor International Airport just before noon on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, which broke the previous high-temperature record of 108 degrees, which was set in 1992. The temperature ended up reaching 117 degrees on Saturday. That is the hottest it has ever been in Phoenix in the month of September.
For context, the average high temperature for Sept. 28 is 96 degrees, meaning it was 21 degrees hotter than average on Saturday.
Signs of heat exhaustion to watch out for include dizziness, thirst, heavy sweating, nausea and weakness, according to the NWS. If you see someone and you think they could be suffering from heat exhaustion, try to move them to a cooler area, loosen their clothes and have them sip cool water.
Signs of heat stroke include those for heat exhaustion plus confusion and losing consciousness. If you see someone and think they could be suffering heat stroke, you should immediately call 911, move the person to a cooler area, loosen their clothes, remove any extra layers and cool them off with water or ice.
The National Weather Service is urging anyone who is planning to spend time outdoors to stay hydrated, cool, to use sun protection and to find shade to take breaks from heat.
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