Crews working to rescue hiker from Black Balsam area during winter storm

By CNN Newsource

Published January 16, 2022 2:05 PM

By Kari Barrows

HAYWOOD COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Haywood County Emergency Services are working to rescue a hiker from the Black Balsam/Ivestor Gap area.

A spokesperson for the department tells News 13 rescue crews have made it to the trailhead parking lot and that they believe the hiker may have some cold-related injuries after attempting to camp Saturday night. Around 3:30 p.m., crews had reached the camper and were heading back down the trail.

“It sounds like mostly cold injuries, maybe some frost bite, that kind of thing,” Allison Richmond, Haywood County Emergency Services’ public information officer says. “That’s not unexpected in this kind of weather when you just can’t get warm. Once you get wet things get really cold, really fast.”

Richmond urges people to stay off the roads if they can.

“Roadways are a little sketchy in some places if you’re on secondary roads,” she says. “We’re having a little delay getting some of those plowed so we’re asking folks to stay home, stay off the roads.”

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