On March 29, 2026, the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) received a 911 call at 5:30 p.m. and responded to a hiker in distress on the Mānoa Middle Ridge Trail in Mānoa with 5 units staffed with 15 personnel. The first unit arrived on scene at 5:42 p.m. and ascended the trail on foot while another unit secured a nearby landing zone to prepare for air operations.
It was reported that a male hiker in his 30s had been hiking for 7 hours and was lost. With 8% battery life left on his mobile phone, 911 was activated. Based on the GPS location received during the 911 call, rescue personnel were inserted by Air 1 near the hiker’s location at 6:12 p.m., where a medical assessment was conducted to confirm there were no injuries. The hiker was then safely airlifted to the nearby landing zone at 6:21 p.m.
All HFD personnel were accounted for with no injuries.