Hikers hang 150 feet from helicopter after falling in a fall in Northern California

A hiker had to fall 30 feet along the falls before landing at the end of a 150-foot rope in a swimming pool in Butte County and was pulled out by a helicopter on Memorial Day weekend, authorities said.

Rescuers said the hiker was not identified by authorities and he suffered serious injuries and could not be contacted by ambulance in time.

Authorities say the man was hiking near the 2018 camp fire with Feather River Canyon and Camp Creek Falls.

Kevin Soukup, a search and rescue spokesman for Butte County Sheriff, said hikers fell on granite rocks and landed on the edge of the waterfall and fell into the 30-foot-high swimming pool below.

The rescue team responded to the Pulga incident and decided to rely on helicopters to rescue when they saw him seriously injured.

Soukup said the consciously injured man was placed on a seat belt when he was fixed on a helicopter with a 150-foot rope. The man was flew to a landing area near Cresta Power House and transferred to Enloe FlightCare for further medical services. The entire helicopter journey took 30 seconds to one minute.

“This is the most dangerous rescue you have done,” Soukup said. “A helicopter is dangerous by nature. Whenever someone suffers traumatic injuries, you think about the risks and rewards and get them out as soon as possible through the helicopter, which is the right decision.”

Soukup said the road out of the area is about three miles and an ambulance won't arrive in time. He said whenever there is traumatic injury, if the journey is more than 30 minutes, you have to fly there.

The rescue is a joint operation with Cal Fire and Butte County Fire.