[UPDATE]: All 18 members of the Cub Scouts hiking group were safely flown out of the Los Padres National Forest and dropped off at the Santa Ynez Airport. The rescue took a total of four helicopter trips, said a County Fire spokesperson, because strong winds limited the amount of people that could be carried on each helicopter.
“There were no injuries reported other than [the scouts] being cold, tired, and hungry,” said the spokesperson. The boys were reunited with their families at the Solvang Veteran’s Memorial Building.
[ORIGINAL REPORT]: At around 8:30 a.m. this morning, 12 Cub Scouts and their six chaperons were bested by the torrential downpour of recent rain and stranded in the Los Padres National Forest, according to Captain David Sadecki of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The scouts were hiking near the Nira Campground when their capability to cross the river was curbed by heavy flow rates.
SBCFD helicopters are helping rescue the cold, tired scouts, and they will then be flown to the Santa Ynez Airport and evaluated by paramedics to ensure their health after the ordeal, Sadecki said.