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Texas hiker says Grand Canyon flash flood rescue was 'craziest day'

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Texas hiker says Grand Canyon flash flood rescue was 'craziest day'

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A Texas hiker recalled the deadly flash flooding that surged through Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park and stranded more than 100 hikers last month as the “craziest day of their lives.”

Whitnye Raquel, 35, told SFGate that she and her friend Paige Renae had gone to the Havasupai Reservation for three nights, where the idyllic waterfalls, creek-side campground and the canyon’s famed blue-green waters draw visitors from around the world.

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But steady rain on Aug. 22 quickly turned to disaster as the creek turned a muddy color and swelled, with water sprouting from the canyon walls and dislodging rocks.

“We just see boulders crumbling, and the sides of houses and school buildings just tumbling down the canyon walls,” Raquel told the outlet. “I grabbed Paige, because I thought it was going to come right through their grocery store and end us. You don’t think that you’re going to see something like that in real life. It felt like a movie.”

NORTH CAROLINA HIKER DIES AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK DURING SOLO TREK, BELIEVED TO BE 6TH FATALITY IN WEEKS

The flash flood struck the area on Aug. 22, stranding more than 100 park visitors. (Michael Langer via AP)

Raquel said Havasupai tribal members allowed tourists to shelter in their village inside a school cafeteria. The initial flash flood had wiped out wooden bridges and ladders used to cross streams along the trail, and a second rush of water made hiking out impossible. 

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flash flood at Grand Canyon National Park

The flash flood washed out wooden bridges used to cross the creek and made hiking out impossible. (Michael Langer via AP)

“That’s when they said, ‘The trail is now impossible,’” Raquel recalled the tribal members saying. “‘There are boulders blocking the trail. Nobody can hike in or out. You guys will all be helicopter-evacuated tomorrow morning. Nobody is hiking out of here.’”

Raquel said all the hikers sheltering with the tribe helped each other through the ordeal after having gone through what she called “the craziest day of their lives.”

CO-WORKERS LEAVE COLORADO MAN BEHIND ON MOUNTAIN SUMMIT DURING OFFICE RETREAT

While a private helicopter service and an Arizona National Guard Blackhawk helicopter worked to ferry 104 evacuees out of the canyon, park officials confirmed that two hikers – a husband and wife – had been swept away in the rush of water near where Havasu Creek empties into the Colorado River.

The two hikers were identified as Andrew and Chenoa Nickerson, of Gilbert, Arizona. Andrew Nickerson was rescued later that night by a group rafting the 280-mile stretch of the river that runs through the Grand Canyon.

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“I was seconds from death when a random stranger jumped from his river raft and risked his life without hesitation to rescue me from the raging waters,” Nickerson wrote later on social media.

Havasu Creek

Havasu Creek is a tributary to the Colorado River, where Nickerson’s body was found days after being swept away in a flash flood, officials said. (National Park Service)

His wife, 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson, was swept into the river’s main channel and remained missing for days. Like most hikers at Havasupai, she wasn’t wearing a life jacket.

Members of a commercial river trip later found her body floating in the Colorado River.

Raquel told SFGate that the experience serves as a reminder “that the human doesn’t stand a chance compared to the sheer force of mother nature.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Los Angeles, Ca

1 dog, 2 pet birds die in Ventura house fire

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1 dog, 2 pet birds die in Ventura house fire

Crews put out a house fire in Ventura that killed one dog and two pet birds Saturday.

The Ventura City Fire Department said 41 on-scene personnel responded to a structure fire on the 1300 block of Clay Avenue at 1:58 p.m.

Firefighters arrived within four minutes of the call to find a single-family home engulfed in flames coming from the garage and spreading into the rest of the residence.

Officials said a family was inside when the fire first broke out in the garage. All members were able to evacuate safely, but, unfortunately, they were unable to retrieve their pets.

However, firefighters quickly and aggressively attacked the flames and were able to save two dogs. Crews also managed to stop the fire from further damaging the home, putting out the fire by 4:17 p.m.

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Fire crews confirmed the family lost one of their dogs and two birds in the fire.

Officials said the home was red-tagged and the family was advised they cannot re-occupy the home until the Ventura Building and Safety Department deems it safe.

The cause of this fire remains under investigation.

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Southwest

Phoenix juvenile arrested after he allegedly pointed gun at school bus with students inside

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Phoenix juvenile arrested after he allegedly pointed gun at school bus with students inside

A juvenile was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday after he was accused of pointing a gun at a school bus with students inside, according to police.

The incident happened shortly after 8 a.m. near 16th Avenue and Bethany Home Road.

Phoenix Police responded to a report that a boy was observed pointing a gun at a school bus as it was transporting students to school.

‘BEST FRIEND’ OF ARIZONA ENGINEER MISSING IN DESERT FOR DAYS CHARGED WITH MURDER

The incident happened shortly after 8 a.m. near 16th Avenue and Bethany Home Road. (Getty Images)

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“Officers responded and learned that the juvenile male suspect was in an argument with a student using the bus and after the victim entered the bus to leave, the suspect brandished a handgun and pointed it at the school bus,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Brian Bower said, according to Fox 10.

No shots were fired at the bus, Bower said.

Bus

No shots were fired at the bus, police said. (Getty Images)

A nearby school was placed on lockdown until the suspect was located inside an apartment close to the place where the incident occurred, Fox 10 reported.

The juvenile suspect, who has not been identified, was taken into custody.

ARIZONA MOM ARRESTED FOR QUESTIONING LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN FRONT OF 10-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER FIGHTS BACK

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The juvenile suspect, who has not been identified, was taken into custody. (iStock)

The school resumed normal operations following the arrest.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Family searching for man who disappeared in Los Angeles County

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Family searching for man who disappeared in Los Angeles County

Loved ones are searching for a missing man who disappeared in Los Angeles County.

The missing man was identified as Andrew Scott Anderson, 23, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Anderson’s family last spoke with him on Sept. 13 at around 1 a.m., but they have been unable to reach him since. It’s unknown where he might be headed or located.

He is described as a white man around 6 feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds. He has brown hair, brown eyes and possible facial hair.

He is believed to be traveling in his 2012 black four-door Honda Civic with Virginia license plate number TKV3014.

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  • The missing man's 2012 black four-door Honda Civic with Virginia license plate number TKV3014. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)

His family is concerned for his well-being and is asking for the public’s help to find him.

Anyone who may have seen Anderson or knows his whereabouts is asked to call the LASD’s Homicide Bureau Missing Persons Detail at 323-890-5500.

Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.

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