Update Sunday, Sept. 6, 1:50 p.m.: All trails in the Santa Monica Mountains were temporarily closed due to extreme heat until 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7, after one female hiker perished due to apparent dehydration, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was pronounced dead at the scene around 2 p.m. at Tapia Park in Malibu Creek State Park, according to NBC Los Angeles.
“Emergency personnel are making rescue after rescue today and sadly, not everyone made it,” the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority’s official Twitter account tweeted, referring to the woman’s death.
According to the MRCA, the following trails were temporarily closed: Happy Camp, Rocky Peak, Towsley Canyon, Mentryville, East/Rice Cyns, Sage Ranch, Wilson Cyn, Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, Corral Cyn, James Cameron Nature Preserve.
All trails leading into Topanga State Park including Vanalden Park, Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, and Temescal Gateway Park backcountry trails were also closed.
All National Park Service trails in Ventura County were closed midday Saturday, Sept. 5, due to the excessive heatwave, according to the Ventura County Fire Department’s official Twitter account. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area’s official Twitter announced that the closures would last until 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7.
The Ventura County Fire Department rescued multiple overheated and exhausted hikers, often utilizing helicopters, as temperatures hit a high of 99 degrees Fahrenheit in the county. Ventura temperatures were expected to broach 100 degrees tomorrow, Sept. 6.
“Please take care today and do not hike,” the Ventura County Fire Department Tweeted. “This is not the weekend to be out on the trails.”
The National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the entire state prior to Labor Day Weekend. Weather forecasters were proved right after predicting that the heat wave would “shatter … numerous records” across the os Angeles area, according to the LA Times.
