Phoenix’s trails turned into a full-time job for firefighters after crews pulled off six separate hiker rescues in just 24 hours, prompting a blunt warning from the department. Phoenix Fire officials say the cluster of calls looks more like a trend than a fluke, with familiar missteps – dehydration, overconfidence, and bad footwear – turning casual hikes into technical rescues. Their message: a little real-world prep can be the difference between snapping summit selfies and dialing 911.
In a post on Tuesday, March 17, the Phoenix Fire Department told followers that “six rescues in 24 hours isn’t a coincidence” and urged anyone eyeing a trail day to listen to “real advice” from the crews doing the work, according to the Phoenix Fire Department. The post also highlighted the department’s size – about 2,000 firefighters providing fire and EMS coverage citywide – and framed the warning as hard-earned, on-the-ground guidance, not some generic seasonal safety flyer.
Six rescues in 24 hours isn’t a coincidence. If you’re planning to go on a hike soon, you need to hear this. Real advice. From the #PHXFire crews making the rescues. https://x.com/i/status/2034030777483334092
– Phoenix Fire Dept. (@PHXFire) March 17, 2026
What crews are seeing on the trails
A City of Phoenix review of mountain-rescue data from 2021 through 2024 found that combined rescues on Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak totaled 58 in 2021, 45 in 2022, 30 in 2023 and 35 in 2024, flagging shifts with multiple rescues as a recurring headache on hot days, according to the City of Phoenix report. Analysts reported that during the hotter months, heat-related illness, not traumatic injury, filled most patient charts, and that dozens of multi-patient incidents lined up with forecast highs above 100°F…