The beginning of the year saw an alarming uptick of 50% more mountain rescues in Phoenix in January-May. However, that trend did not carry over into the summer. Phoenix saw a typical number of mountain rescues in the summer season of May-September.
This summer, Phoenix Fire rescued 64 hikers from mountains versus 88 last year, despite this being a hotter summer.
“We do believe the trail restrictions have a positive impact on those numbers,” Phoenix Assistant Fire Chief Mark Gonzales told the Parks and Recreation Board on Oct. 22.
