MCSO photo

March 25, 2021 - The Madera County Sheriff's Office (MCSA) reports on Tuesday shortly after 5:00 P.M., MCSO Deputy Wright and Corporal Roussell were flagged down regarding three people stuck in the snow off of the 6S01.

Corporal Chris Williams, Deputy Jose Rodriguez and US Forest Service Officer Melissa Wise responded up Minarets Road to rescue the stranded party.

On the way, the rescue group encountered severe winds, downed trees, and falling rocks. They located the stuck party and began their escort back towards North Fork. While traveling back towards town, deputies had to stop and cut up numerous trees that had fallen behind them.

As they reached the Fish Creek area, they encountered several very large trees that had fallen in their path. Due to the size of the trunks, their equipment wasn’t big enough to cut a path through trees, rendering them all stuck in the area.

A US Forest Service fire engine crew was dispatched to assist the group.Though numerous trees blocked the roadway to reach them, they were able to locate the group around 10:30 P.M.. After about an hour of removal, they created a passage for their safe return. No injuries were reported.

Madera County Sheriff Pogue states, “Every search and rescue operation poses an inherent level of risk, and extreme weather conditions like yesterday’s wind storm create a challenging environment not only for parties needing rescue, but our SAR members. We are always grateful for a successful operation, and couldn’t accomplish tasks like this without our trusted allied agencies.”
Source: MCSO