Six kids among hikers rescued in night operation near Duvall
The emergency call came in around 9:30 p.m., when a man reported that he and six children—ranging in age from 2 to 13—were lost.
The group had no food or water, and the temperature was in the low 50s and dropping.
Deputies from the Sheriff's North Precinct and Sammamish Police Department responded, along with King County Search and Rescue volunteers.
A sergeant from the Sammamish Police, who is trained as a drone operator, deployed what the department refers to as an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to help find the group.
The sergeant was able to locate the hikers using the drone, and rescue teams on the ground made contact with them about a mile up the trail.
The drone followed the group as they made their way back to the trailhead, providing both light and reassurance for the children.
One Search and Rescue volunteer noted the drone was especially helpful not just for lighting the path, but for distracting and calming some of the frightened kids.
All members of the hiking group were safely returned without injury, authorities said.
The King County Sheriff's Office currently has 41 trained drone pilots across its agency.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
Keep Colorado Wild Pass helps fund search and rescue drone conference
DENVER (KDVR) — Douglas County Search and Rescue partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the first-ever Rocky Mountain SAR UAS Conference, held May 31 at the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Facility. The event focused on search and rescue teams' usage of unmanned aerial systems, aka drones, during operations. The SAR team can use the tool to search large areas quickly, get an overhead look at a situation, scan the area using thermal cameras and communicate remotely with the people once located with a drone. Parker police use drone to find child who didn't return from playground It's something the Douglas County team is familiar with: In March, the Douglas County SAR was called to Roxborough State Park for two teenagers who got lost near Carpenter Peak. The team used drones to search for the teens and quickly located them after seeing a flashing light. Using the drone's technology, the team was able to have a family member communicate with the teenagers. 'From their standpoint, here they are lost in the wilderness, you know, you could hear dad coming over the speaker with some positive words of encouragement. I think it really uplifted their spirits,' drone lead Darren Keralla of DCSAR told FOX31's Kasia Kerridge. 'We can't receive audio, but we typically ask them if you're OK, give me a thumbs up, and they'll respond with a thumbs up. We can interpret a lot from their motions and what they're communicating back to us physically.' The conference drew together over 60 drone professionals from over 25 agencies in Colorado, where they shared best practices and lessons learned. 'This event was an outstanding success,' said Brent Lounsbury, Emergency Management Coordinator for CPW, in a release. 'Douglas County SAR identified the need for an event where SAR UAS professionals could collaborate and learn from each other; it clearly hit the mark. We're really looking forward to this event coming around again next year, and it being an even larger success.' Colorado's search and rescue teams are all staffed by volunteers, and CPW's Backcountry SAR program helps funnel funds from sales of the Keep Colorado Wild Pass, as well as hunting and fishing licenses, to search and rescue teams around the state. The pass costs $29 for Colorado residents and can be added to your vehicle registration. CPW says clean boats make for happy lakes CPW noted that modern drones have high-tech cameras and sensors that can provide inaccessible views for ground crews. The agency also uses drones for wildlife and land management. 'This conference allowed us to get everyone in a room, make contacts and share best practices. I particularly enjoyed the question and answer sessions after each presentation, where critical discussions and learning were exchanged peer-to-peer,' said Dave Miska, president of Douglas County SAR, in CPW's release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Yahoo
Cleanup continues after driver went airborne, smashes through 2 Burien, WA homes
The Brief A high-speed crash on Memorial Day in Burien damaged two homes, with a car going airborne and crashing through walls. The Kollasch family and their neighbors are cleaning up debris and have started fundraisers to aid recovery efforts. The driver, a man in his 20s, was taken into custody. BURIEN, Wash. - It was another day of cleanup at two homes damaged in a high-speed crash on Memorial Day in Burien. Mark Kollasch gave FOX 13 crews a tour of the damage at his home, and it still looks like a bomb went off. After the crash Monday, workers had to lift the car from the wreckage of two homes. "Happy Memorial Day, yeah," said Kollasch. Mark Kollasch says the long holiday weekend turned into a nightmare after a driver was accused of going airborne at a nearby intersection, crashing straight through his house. "Like 'Dukes of Hazard' to the extreme." Kollasch says the driver first sailed through the sun room. "Our dining room table was right here," said Kollasch. "Didn't hit the floor, there are no tire marks on the floor, it's just crazy," said Kollasch. The sedan flew so high, it also cleared much of the couple's furniture. "Our bed is this high, and he like flew over the bed," he said. Kollasch says the car blasted through two exterior and three interior walls, finally shooting out the other side and into the neighbor's house. "The guy still had enough force to crush their water tank and the washer-dryer," he said. "Most of the car was in there," said Kollasch, pointing to a back corner of his neighbor's house. "The whole corner of his house is gone." On Monday, crews continued cleaning up the drywall and debris. "The frames are ruined but a lot of the pictures we had up aren't ruined," said Kollasch. They also picked the family's possessions from the rubble, which will be stored somewhere else for the time being. "It's going to be our ten-year wedding anniversary this August," said Kollasch, pointing to a wedding photo that was salvaged. The Kollasch family started an online fundraiser to help them recover. "We had to buy new clothes, and it's just hard to even think about," said Kollasch. Friends of his neighbor started a separate fundraiser to help their family recover from the disaster as well. The Kollasch family is staying with friends currently. They are planning to rent in the short term, and may make a permanent move one day. "It's like the trauma of coming home to seeing this. It would be hard to feel safe even if it was rebuilt," said Kollasch. As for the man who was taken into custody, the King County Sheriff's Office says he's in his 20s and was the only person in the car at the time of the crash. The Source Information in this story came from the King County Sheriff's Office and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews. 'Shut your legs' comment, rating female staff: Snoqualmie Police Chief fired after probe DOJ to announce drug trafficking arrests in Seattle Washington state named 'sanctuary jurisdiction' by Trump admin, 35 of 39 counties listed Motorcyclist speaks out after arrest made in Auburn, WA hit-and-run nearly 2 years ago WA beekeeper working to save millions of bees involved in crash in Whatcom County FBI scrutiny puts pressure on Seattle mayor after protest clash To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Six kids among hikers rescued in night operation near Duvall
A group of hikers, including six children, was rescued late on the night of April 27 after getting lost on the Cherry Creek Falls Trail near Duvall, according to the King County Sheriff's Office. The emergency call came in around 9:30 p.m., when a man reported that he and six children—ranging in age from 2 to 13—were lost. The group had no food or water, and the temperature was in the low 50s and dropping. Deputies from the Sheriff's North Precinct and Sammamish Police Department responded, along with King County Search and Rescue volunteers. A sergeant from the Sammamish Police, who is trained as a drone operator, deployed what the department refers to as an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to help find the group. The sergeant was able to locate the hikers using the drone, and rescue teams on the ground made contact with them about a mile up the trail. The drone followed the group as they made their way back to the trailhead, providing both light and reassurance for the children. One Search and Rescue volunteer noted the drone was especially helpful not just for lighting the path, but for distracting and calming some of the frightened kids. All members of the hiking group were safely returned without injury, authorities said. The King County Sheriff's Office currently has 41 trained drone pilots across its agency.
