Three hikers prompted a multi-agency helicopter rescue when they climbed a cliff at Anderson Dam in northeast Morgan Hill and couldn’t get down Thursday, according to authorities.
CalFire received a call about 1:30 p.m. May 22 that the three subjects were “stranded” on a cliff located on the side of the spillway next to Anderson Dam, according to CalFire Battalion Chief Mike Mathiesen.
“They were clinging to the rocks, which are not very sturdy, and they had been there about a half an hour,” Mathiesen said.
CalFire, Morgan Hill Fire and San Jose Fire started a rescue response to rescue the hikers, Mathiesen said.
One hiker was hoisted off the cliff by an emergency rescuer hanging from a helicopter, according to authorities. The other two were brought to safety with ropes and ground-based personnel.
The rescue lasted about two-and-a-half hours, and no injuries were reported among the hikers, who were about 18 to 20 years old, Mathiesen said.
The incident highlights the danger of climbing or hiking on the steep, loose, rocky surface next to Anderson Dam, and authorities reiterated that climbing those rocks is not permitted.
“Every year we come up here to rescue people rock climbing,” Mathiesen said. “It’s very dangerous.”
