On Sunday, May 24, 2026, at approximately 10:20am, Clackamas Fire’s Technical Rescue Team responded to a mutual aid request from Hoodland Fire to assist with the rescue of an injured climber. Squad 319, Heavy Rescue 305, Truck 316, and Battalion Chief 301 responded to Timberline Lodge and proceeded on foot and via snow cat to the patient’s side where they found the climber pinned under a boulder estimated to weigh 16,000 lbs. The boulder had fallen on the patient during a minor rockslide, and despite immediate attempts at rescue by a large crowd of bystanders, the boulder could not be moved. Clackamas Fire leaders immediately established unified command of the scene with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Hoodland Fire.  

The climber was conscious and able to communicate, but the nature of the accident and potential severity of the person’s injuries called for a sophisticated response. As a group of Clackamas Fire’s highly trained rescuers worked to construct a system to lift the boulder from the patient, others contacted LifeFlight and OHSU to activate a specialized field surgical team. LifeFlight dispatched an aircraft to the scene and sent a second helicopter to the landing pad at OHSU. While rescuers labored in challenging conditions to remove the boulder, physicians and surgeons at OHSU quickly assembled medical equipment and loaded it onboard a LifeFlight helicopter in a remarkable display of collaboration. 

At approximately 12:30pm, just as the second helicopter was circling the scene to land, the Technical Rescue Team freed the patient from the boulder and moved the injured person to the first helicopter for immediate transport to an area hospital. 

The climber is being treated at an area hospital and is expected to recover. The swift action and strong collaboration between Clackamas Fire, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Hoodland Fire, Timberline Lodge and Mt. Hood Ski Patrol, Life Flight Network, OHSU, Portland Mountain Rescue, PNW Search and Rescue, American Medical Response, and the Hood River Crag Rats made this complex rescue successful. 

Clackamas Fire's Technical Rescue Team is a highly skilled Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Task Force which is always mission-ready and has capabilities aligned with national standards. The team is equipped and available for rapid deployment via established national mutual aid system.

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