A rattlesnake in Southern California has bitten another hiker, sending him to the hospital after he was removed from the trail by firefighters over the weekend, according to Santa Barbara County officials.
At approximately 3:38 a.m. Sunday, the Montecito Fire Protection District responded to an injured hiker on the Buena Vista Trail, according to a agency social media post. The female hiker was about three-quarters of a mile up the trail when she was bitten on the ankle.
According to the post, she did not have call service to call 911, but she sent a message to someone she knew, who contacted emergency services.
The agency said the pedestrian walked off the road and dispatchers told him to blow his whistle so first responders could find him.
Montecito firefighters and Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue found the hiker and transported him to the trailhead, according to the post. Then he was taken to the hospital.
The incident is the second emergency on the Montecito hiking trail in recent weeks, according to officials.
Last month, a Ventura County woman died after being bitten by a rattlesnake on a Southern California walking trail during an unusually active period of snake attacks and unseasonably warm weather.
Rattlesnakes, which are typically most active in spring and summer, appear to have come out earlier than usual this year as March in the Southland was the warmest on record.
Officials have advised people to remain vigilant and have an emergency plan in case of a snake bite, including knowing their location, trail names and GPS coordinates.
