2 Men Found Safe in Los Padres Forest
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Two Orange County men whose four-wheel-drive vehicle became submerged in a creek in Los Padres National Forest were rescued early Tuesday by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Rescue Unit.
William Eckert, 25, of Anaheim and Daniel Asetine, 44, of Huntington Beach spent Monday driving through the Alamo Mountain area of Los Padres National Forest, about 15 miles north of Fillmore. About 5 p.m., their Jeep Wrangler got stuck in Piru Creek and was soon engulfed in water. The pair tried in vain to free the vehicle.
After nightfall, with temperatures dropping to 22 degrees, the men tried to walk out of the forest.
At 1 a.m. Tuesday, the rescue unit sent eight members to search for the missing men. Searchers worked through the night, using motorcycles to comb a 36-square-mile area. At 5:45 a.m., a helicopter joined the search.
Rescuers found the two men an hour later, about six miles from their abandoned Jeep. They had built a fire to keep warm during the night and were not injured, according to sheriff’s officials.
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