On Friday, June 13th, at approximately 1:45 PM, Burke Rescue was dispatched to reports of a hiker who had fallen and sustained lower leg injuries in the Buck Creek area. Upon arrival, rescuers determined the individual was located off-trail in an extremely rugged section of the Pisgah National Forest.
A Burke Rescue SAR Technician/EMT reached the patient at approximately 3:22 PM and began medical assessment and initial care. Additional personnel from Burke Rescue and Burke EMS Special Operations made contact around 5:07 PM and initiated Advanced Life Support (ALS) care.
Due to the remote and challenging terrain—combined with severe weather conditions—Burke County Emergency Management requested additional support, including state Mountain Rescue Teams and potential air assets.
At approximately 7:40 PM, SC-HART deployed a UH-72-B Lakota helicopter along with rescue technicians, who successfully performed a pickoff extraction at 8:54 PM. The patient was then transferred to a waiting ambulance for transport to a medical facility.
All rescuers were safely out of the woods by 10:40 PM.
We extend our sincere thanks to all the agencies that responded to this challenging call:
Burke County 911
Burke County Emergency Management
Burke County EMS SP-Ops
Oak Hill Fire Rescue
Long View Fire Department
Longtown Fire Department
Linville Central Rescue – MRT 1
Buncombe Rescue – MRT 3
Haywood Rescue – MRT 4
Henderson Rescue – MRT 5
Appalachian Mountain Rescue Team (AMRT)
South Carolina Emergency Management
South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (SC-HART)
Your dedication and teamwork are truly appreciated!
We are also extremely grateful to Chick-fil-A of Morganton for their generous donation to feed this crew in the woods. It was a welcome boost during a long and demanding mission.