In the afternoon of June 4, 2014, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Unit responded to Catalina State Park to rescue hikers form the Romero Pools area.
When the deputies arrived, they learned seven individuals hiked to Romero Pools at approximately 6:00 a.m. After hiking for about a mile, two of the hikers turned around due to the rising heat while the others continued to Romero Pools. The hikers reached Romero Pools at approximately 9:00 a.m. and rested for a while. When they began hiking back to their vehicles, they temporarily lost and the trail. Eventually, they found the trail and continued hiking toward their vehicles.
Due to the excessive heat, three of the hikers began to have heat related problems.
One of the hikers called her mother who call 9-1-1 and requested assistance. The Search and Rescue Unit, Golder Ranch Fire Department, and Northwest Fire Department hiked the trail towards Romero Pools and made contact with the party. One of the hikers appeared to be suffering from severe heat exhaustion and had to be carried out. The other hikers made it to their vehicles under their own power.
When they reach the parking lot the three hikers who were having problems were evaluated. One of the hikers, a 20-year-old female from Illinios, was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.