Six rescued at a Santa Cruz County beach after rope breaks during cliff climb
By Ricardo Tovar
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DAVENPORT, Calif. (KSBW) — CAL FIRE CZU says it rescued six people on the Fourth of July after an unauthorized rope broke while they were attempting to climb coastal cliffs at Davenport Beach.
Just before midnight, six people on Davenport Beach tried climbing the cliffs to reach the bluff when an unauthorized rope installed near the top gave way, sending three of them tumbling an estimated 30 to 40 feet to the beach, according to CAL FIRE CZU.
Officials said three people were on the rope when it broke, while the other three were stranded about halfway up the cliff because the terrain was too steep to go up.
Using a ladder truck, firefighters deployed a high-angle rope rescue system to reach and rescue the three people who fell.
Those three were taken by ambulance to a hospital. One patient was in critical condition, while the other two suffered moderate injuries, per CAL FIRE CZU.
The remaining three people were assisted to the bluff by firefighters using ropes and harnesses.
Air support was not used because of heavy fog, officials said.
Fire officials are reminding the public that coastal cliffs are highly unstable and dangerous, and visitors should never attempt to climb up or down cliff faces.
Emergency crews from CAL FIRE CZU, Santa Cruz Fire, California State Parks, AMR and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
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