A group of 13 young hikers who went missing during a raging wildfire in California have been found alive after a desperate search.
At approximately 7:20 a.m. Monday morning, the sheriff’s office announced that their helicopter had located the missing group amid the raging fires, which have now burned more than 5,000 acres.
“Search and rescue teams will be accompanying them,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The group, aged between 16 and 20, are believed to be trapped somewhere within range of the blaze, authorities said in a chilling update early this morning.
The Royal Fire started Sunday evening in the Tahoe National Forest and quickly spread to 160 acres.
A group of 13 young hikers who went missing in the heart of a raging California wildfire have been found alive after a desperate search
At approximately 7:20 a.m. Monday, the sheriff’s office announced that their helicopter had located the missing group
Tahoe National Forest officials suspect the fire was started by an escaped campfire.
On Sunday, officers first discovered four abandoned vehicles near the Palisades Creek Trail.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed at 6:30 a.m. that their search and rescue team had been called out to locate the missing teens and young adults.
Officials also said they had deployed a helicopter to comb the smoke-filled terrain from above in a desperate attempt to find the lost hikers.
“Placer County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue is working to locate them. Our helicopter will be out searching as well. We will continue to provide updates as the search continues,” they announced.
Officials have also deployed a helicopter to comb the smoke-filled terrain from above in a desperate attempt to find the lost hikers
They suspect the hikers planned to camp outside the area where the fire started.
As the fire continued to spread, residents of a 22,000-acre area in Placer County southwest of Truckee were placed under an evacuation warning. As of Monday morning, the fire was still not under control.
This comes as massive wildfires rage in California, burning 5,000 acres and forcing evacuations in several neighborhoods.
A wildfire known as the Lake Fire burned more than 300 acres of land in the Los Padres National Forest.
The Thompson Fire, seen here, broke out just before noon Tuesday about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of the state capital, Sacramento
An unidentified resident, pictured above, attempting to evacuate is one of more than 28,000 people ordered to evacuate Butte County
According to Los Padres officials, the raging Lake Fire had already spread across an area of about 4,673 acres by 11 p.m.
Photos from the scene show a red sky and trees on fire as firefighters try to get the situation under control.
Aftermath images also show huge plumes of smoke rising from the forest as branches continue to burn to ash.