On October 31, 2026, the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) received a 911 call at 1:38 p.m. and responded to a hiker in distress in the mountains above Hale Aha Road in Punalu’u with 6 units staffed with 19 personnel. The first unit arrived on scene at 1:53 p.m. and met with the 911 caller who reported hearing someone calling for help in the mountains. This unit proceeded up the mountain on foot to begin a ground search. Additional units established command and secured a nearby landing zone to prepare for air operations.
Air 1 located a male in his 50’s near the top of the mountain and inserted rescue personnel near his location. Personnel conducted a medical assessment, provided basic life support treatment, and prepared him for an air extraction. Air 1 safely transported the hiker to the nearby landing zone, where medical care was transferred to the Emergency Medical Services at 3:53 p.m.
All HFD personnel were accounted for with no injuries.