Boulder Creek — Firefighters performed a nighttime cliff rescue when residents tried to cross a barricaded roadblock and fell 50 feet off the slope on Sunday.
Shortly before 9:30 p.m., the Boulder Creek Fire Protection District was called to the slipout at 16415 Bear Creek Road to report that rescue was needed. This road is closed to traffic after recent winter storm-related damage caused roadbed collapse.
Fire Chief Mark Bingham said residents were returning home Sunday night and parked their cars on both sides of the road block to avoid a long detour. Bingham said he didn’t see the approaching cliff until he lost control of the family’s small dog and fled the slippery, muddy cliff.
Boulder Creek Fire requested additional Cull Fire engines to assist, Bingham said, because cliff rescues are performed from high angles. Despite the fact that the unstable ground was still moving along the slide, rescuers were able to lift the woman without serious injury and return to safety within 23 minutes. Bingham said the escaped dog climbed the cliff on its own.
“Somehow she got over it all and got off the cliff,” Bingham said. not recognized.”
According to Bingham, the road closure was marked with signs, concrete barriers, sandwich board signs, construction work and “danger” tape with flags all the way along the edge of the slide. He said road closures were made for deliberate safety reasons. Bingham said Santa Cruz County is working to restore at least partial temporary access to the road as an important community thoroughfare.
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