41-Year-Old Woman Dies In Heat at Malibu Creek State Park, Some Trails Now Closed
Written by 991KBU on September 6, 2020
The death of a hiker in Malibu Canyon may be behind the decision of California State Parks to close all trails as of 9:15 this Sunday morning.
Temperatures had already climbed well above 100 degrees at the top of the Santa Monica Mountains today, when the closure was announced.
An unidentified 41-year-old woman began hiking at Tapia Park in Malibu Creek State Park around 8 a.m. Saturday and fell ill around 2 p.m., state parks officials told City News Service in a report carried by KCBS-TV officials said.
“A few hours later, she suffered a reported seizure,” said Malibu Search and Rescue Team Leader David Katz. “CPR was initiated and performed for 20 to 30 minutes before she was pronounced.”
Some other hikers also became overcome by the heat and had to be rescued as well on Sunday, prompting officials with the Malibu Search and Rescue Team to urge people not to hike in the extreme heat.
Although California State parks officially closed its trails in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. the National Park System said it was evaluating the situation in Malibu. But the NPS did close its trails in neighboring Ventura County, as did several county parks agencies there.
The Mountains Resource Conservation Authority said it was monitoring the situation, but did not close any trails in or near Malibu.
The heat was expected to peak today, with highs forecast for 95 on the beach and 117 in the Malibu mountains.
But it will be hot through Wednesday, with winds increasing to possible Santa Ana levels Tuesday and Wednesday forecast by the NWS.
