Latest news with #SewardFireDepartment
Straits Times
a day ago
- General
- Straits Times
Alaska man survives 3 hours pinned face down under a 317kg boulder
In an image provided by emergency responders, Kell Morris lies trapped under a 317-kg rock at a creek near Seward, Alaska, on May 24. PHOTOS: JASON HARRINGTON-SEWARD FD/NYTIMES Kell Morris does not remember exactly how he started tumbling or how he ended up on his stomach, but he remembers when a 317.5kg boulder hit his back – the jolt of pain it caused as it pinned him down, and how instantly he knew he was in trouble. Mr Morris, 61, said it was a 'beautiful, beautiful day' on May 24 in Seward, Alaska, where he lives with his wife, Joanna Roop. The pair decided to hike near a remote glacier more than 190km south of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. They had been looking for a spot to cross a creek when the earth holding a group of boulders gave way. Mr Morris said he tried to almost surf the sliding gravel but lost his footing and tumbled down. 'The next thing I know, I'm face down in the creek and you can still hear these rocks,' he said. Ms Roop, 61, also heard that distinctive sound. She ran to the area of the slide, calling for her husband but there was no answer. When she saw him, Ms Roop said, it felt like the situation went from 'worse to worse'. Trapped under the massive boulder, Mr Morris was just about holding himself out of the cold glacier water that feeds the creek. 'We kind of assessed that I'm not going to last long in this cold water,' Mr Morris said, and he sent his wife with both their cellphones off in search of a signal. After walking around 270 metres, Ms Roop connected to a 911 dispatcher. Rescue crews from several agencies, including the Seward Fire Department and the Bear Creek Volunteer Fire Department, mobilised. But the extreme terrain of the area meant progress was slow. Then, a Bear Creek volunteer who works for Seward Helicopter Tours heard the 911 dispatch call. The volunteer and a pilot offered to pick up six firefighters and take them to where Mr Morris was pinned. Rescuers found Mr Morris suffering from hypothermia and wavering in and out of consciousness, face down in a creek with the boulder on his back, and Ms Roop holding his head out of the water, the Seward Fire Department said in a news release. Rescue crews used air bags, ropes and 'brute force' to free him, the department said. After he was warmed up, Mr Morris 'became more alert, and his vitals improved,' the department said. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Alaskan man cheats death after pinned by 700-pound boulder in icy creek
SEWARD, Alaska – What began as a tranquil Alaskan hike rapidly escalated into a desperate fight for survival for one couple. Last Saturday, 61-year-old Kell Morris and his wife sought to avoid holiday crowds by venturing onto a quiet, untracked path near Seward, firefighters said. Their peaceful outing, however, was shattered when a massive boulder dislodged from the canyon wall, striking Morris and pinning him in the frigid Fourth of July Creek. What unfolded next was a complex, multi-agency rescue effort. The Seward Fire Department, alongside various other agencies, immediately responded, locating Morris about 2 miles upstream from their command post. Due to the extreme terrain, crews advanced slowly on foot and using ATVs. Alaska Slammed By Atmospheric River As Summer Cruise Season Revs Up A critical turning point in the rescue came when a neighboring firefighter, employed by a helicopter tour group, overheard the emergency call. He and a pilot swiftly volunteered their helicopter, airlifting six firefighters directly to Morris's location and cutting 45 minutes off the crucial travel time, according to the Seward Fire Department. "The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely," the Seward Fire Department said. Rescuers found Morris lying face down in the creek with a 700-pound boulder pinning him while his wife held his head above the water. "The patient was hypothermic and in and out of consciousness," firefighters said. "Crews used air bags, ropes and brute force to lift the boulder off the patient and pull him to safety." Rare Tornado Spotted In Alaska's Chugach State Park May Only Be State's 5Th On Record Once out of the icy water, rescuers worked quickly to warm him. As his body temperature rose, Morris became more alert and his vital signs stabilized, firefighters said. However, it quickly became apparent that traditional methods of transporting him down the treacherous canyon were neither safe nor feasible. In a final critical move, pararescue jumpers with the 176th Wing Air National Guard were called in and successfully hoisted Morris out of the canyon and transferred him to an awaiting ambulance. Morris was then rushed to a local hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery. "It is no doubt that without the help from Seward Helicopter tours this incident could have had a much different and potentially fatal outcome," firefighters emphasized. "It is community members and businesses that we work so well with that make our jobs easier and more productive."Original article source: Alaskan man cheats death after pinned by 700-pound boulder in icy creek
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Alaska man survives being pinned face-down by 700-pound boulder in creek after help from his wife
An Alaska man survived being pinned face-down by a 700-pound boulder in a creek after his wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning, officials say. The harrowing incident involving Kell Morris happened last Saturday as he was hiking near Godwin Glacier outside of Seward on an isolated and undeveloped trail behind a state prison, according to Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites. "The patient was found lying in the creek on his stomach with an approximately 700 lb. boulder on top of him with his spouse holding his head out of water. The patient was hypothermic and in and out of consciousness," the Seward Fire Department said. "Crews used air bags, ropes, and brute force to lift the boulder off the patient and pull him to safety. Once out of the water, the crew re-warmed the patient, and he became more alert, and his vitals improved." Morris, 61, who was trapped for about three hours, later told the Associated Press that "I was very lucky" and "God was looking out for me." Human Remains Found In Sunken Boat Bring Closure To Texas Family's Alaska Tragedy His wife, Jo Roop, is a retired Alaska State Trooper. They moved to Seward, about 120 miles south of Anchorage, from Idaho last fall when she took a job with the local police department. Read On The Fox News App The trail the couple was hiking on was a rocky creek bed lined with large boulders deposited by the glacier. Morris told the AP he noticed dangerous boulders -- some weighing up to 1,000 pounds -- along the banks of the creek and avoided them the best he could, until he ran into an area he couldn't pass. "I was coming back and everything, the whole side slid out from under me," he said. Morris described how things became a blur as he tumbled down an embankment about 20 feet, landing face down in the water. Then he immediately felt a boulder hit his back in what Crites described as "basically an avalanche of boulders." Hiker, 33, Dies After Hiking Arizona Mountains In Extreme Heat, 4 Others Rescued Morris recounted to the AP how he felt an intense pain in his left leg and waited for his femur to snap. "When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome," Morris said. His wife tried to free him for about 30 minutes, putting rocks under the boulder and trying to roll it off him, before she left to find a cell signal to call 911. She used her law enforcement experience to send exact GPS coordinates to dispatch. The Seward Fire Department said a volunteer at the nearby Bear Creek Fire Department who works for Seward Helicopter Tours then heard the call "while working and he and a pilot volunteered to respond to the scene and pick up six firefighters via helicopter and transport them to the patient, thus cutting down 45 minutes of travel time. "The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely," it said. The Seward Fire Department said Morris was airlifted to a local hospital where he is now expected to make a full recovery, but "it is now doubt that without the help from the Seward Helicopter Tours this incident could have had a much different and potentially fatal outcome." Firefighters who carried out the rescue used two air bags normally reserved to extract people from wrecked vehicles to slightly lift the boulder. "It just became an all-hands brute force of 'one, two, three, push,'" Crites told the AP. "And seven guys were able to lift it enough to pull the victim out." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: Alaska man survives being pinned face-down by 700-pound boulder in creek after help from his wife
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Alaska Man Survives 'Without a Scratch on Him' After Being Pinned for Hours Underneath 700 Lbs. Boulder in 'Extreme Terrain'
An Alaska man has survived unscathed after being pinned underneath a 700-lb. boulder while out hiking with his wife, authorities have said The man, identified as Kell Morris, told CBS News he recognizes that he's probably the luckiest man alive "I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him," Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites said, per the outletAn Alaska man is lucky to be alive after surviving hours pinned under a boulder weighing approximately 700 lbs. On Saturday, May 24, the Seward Fire Department was dispatched to a rescue in the Fourth of July Creek headwaters amid reports that a 61-year-old male was underneath a boulder, a news release shared on Facebook confirmed. The fire department was among multiple authorities to respond, with crews initially heading to the area on foot and on ATVs, but they were only able to move slowly "due to the extreme terrain." Luckily, a nearby Bear Creek Volunteer Fire Department worker, who also works for Seward Helicopter Tours, heard the call while working and he offered to help authorities get to the patient quicker, cutting down 45 minutes of travel time, the release stated. "The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely," the post said. CBS News has identified the man as Kell Morris, stating his wife helped hold his head above water to prevent him from drowning after the boulder "crashed onto him" while they were hiking "near a remote glacier south of Anchorage." The Seward Fire Department noted in the news release that the "patient was hypothermic and in and out of consciousness" by the time crews reached him. They then "used air bags, ropes, and brute force to lift the boulder off the patient and pull him to safety." Authorities "re-warmed" the man and he became more alert and his vitals improved," the release said, adding that the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (AKRCC), through the Alaska State Troopers, was contacted to help bring the patient down the canyon. The release added that the patient was treated at Seward Providence Hospital and is "expected to make a full recovery." "No life-threatening injuries were noted," the post confirmed, thanking Seward Helicopter Tours for their help while acknowledging that it could have potentially been a "fatal outcome" otherwise. According to CBS News, the helicopter was being used to take tourists to the area as part of a sled dog company. Morris told CBS News on Thursday, May 29, that he realizes he's probably the luckiest man alive, saying, "And luckier that I have such a great wife." The outlet noted that Morris' wife, Jo Roop, is a retired Alaska State Trooper, who moved to Seward last fall with her husband after she started working with the local police department. The pair had headed to the more isolated area near Godwin Glacier in a bid to avoid the crowds over Memorial Day weekend, CBS News reported, citing Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites. Morris had apparently tried to avoid the big boulders on the trail, but had eventually come across an area he couldn't pass. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "I was coming back and everything, the whole side slid out from under me," Morris told the outlet, adding that he'd fell around 20 feet down the embankment and was lying face down in the water. "When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome," Morris told CBS News, as Fire Chief Crites said that the reason he wasn't crushed was because there were rocks under him, as well as in between his legs and around him that had caught the weight of the boulder. Crites told the outlet of the patient walking away unscathed, "I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him." Crites did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
61-year-old man survives being pinned down by 700-pound boulder for 3 hours in Alaska creek
A 61-year-old Alaska man is expected to make a full recovery after he ended up being pinned down by a 700-pound boulder while lying on his stomach in an Alaska creek, authorities said. The incident occurred last Saturday just before noon when the Seward Fire Department was contacted for a rescue in the Fourth of July Creek to reports of a '61-year-old male pinned by a boulder in the creek,' according to a statement from the Seward Fire Department. MORE: 6 gray whales have died in San Francisco in the past week as authorities scramble for answers 'The patient was found lying in the creek on his stomach with an approximately 700 lb. boulder on top of him with his spouse holding his head out of water,' authorities said. 'The patient was hypothermic and in and out of consciousness.' Officials did not say how the boulder came to be on top of him or why it ended up pinning him down in the creek in the first place. MORE: Tourists at beach house find human remains dating back 200 years Seward Fire and Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corp responded and requested assistance from Bear Creek Volunteer Fire Department, according to the Seward Fire Department, and responded to the scene on foot, by ATV and helicopter. 'One of Bear Creek FD Volunteer's works for Seward Helicopter Tours and heard the call while working and he and a pilot volunteered to respond to the scene and pick up six firefighters via helicopter and transport them to the patient, thus cutting down 45 minutes of travel time,' officials said. 'The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely.' MORE: Black bear found sitting on stove inside home after crashing through ceiling Crews used air bags, ropes and 'brute force' to lift the boulder off the patient and pull him to safety, authorities said. 'Once out of the water, the crew re-warmed the patient, and he became more alert, and his vitals improved,' Seward Fire Department said. Officials determined there was not an effective or safe manner to bring the patient down the canyon, so they contacted the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center for assistance and they were able to hoist the man out of the canyon and take him to the ambulance that was waiting nearby. MORE: 3 climbers dead after falling off mountain while rappelling The 61-year-old man was subsequently taken to Seward Providence Hospital and authorities said he is expected to make a full recovery with no life-threatening injuries noted. 'It is no doubt that without the help from Seward Helicopter Tours this incident could have had a much different and potentially fatal outcome,' said the Seward Fire Department. 'It is community members and businesses that we work so well with that make our jobs easier and more productive.' 61-year-old man survives being pinned down by 700-pound boulder for 3 hours in Alaska creek originally appeared on
