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Three people stranded high on a steep Northern California mountainside were rescued by helicopter Sunday after a distress call brought crews racing to their aid.
The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office said the group was found on the Sierra Buttes, just south of a lookout tower near the mountain’s summit.
Images and video released by officials show the helicopter near the rugged mountainside as rescuers worked to reach the trio.
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A rescue helicopter flies near the Sierra Buttes during an operation to reach three people stranded on a steep section of the Northern California mountain on Oct. 25, 2026. (Sierra County Sheriff’s Office)
The sheriff’s office was alerted around 2:30 p.m. after a Garmin inReach satellite communication device sent an SOS signal to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Deputies launched a search and rescue response and called in the Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue Team and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office’s RAVEN helicopter crew.
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The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office RAVEN helicopter responds to a rescue on the Sierra Buttes, where three people were stranded on steep terrain on Oct. 25, 2026. (Sierra County Sheriff’s Office)
Once the crew spotted the stranded group, a rescue team member was lowered from the helicopter to reach them. All three were then hoisted off the mountainside and flown to a landing zone, where Sierra County deputies were waiting.
“Due to the difficult terrain and hazardous location, a helicopter hoist rescue was necessary,” the sheriff’s office said.
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The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office RAVEN helicopter sits on a paved landing area during a rescue operation on the Sierra Buttes in California on Oct. 25, 2026. (Sierra County Sheriff’s Office)
The agency thanked the teams involved for their “professionalism, coordination, and assistance” in bringing the rescue to a successful conclusion.
The Sierra Buttes rise above the North Yuba River canyon, with a fire lookout near the top of the approximately 8,600-foot mountain, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.
Authorities did not say how the three people became stranded or whether anyone was injured.
The rescue drew praise on social media, where commenters thanked the emergency crews and pointed to the RAVEN helicopter team’s role in helping communities across the region.
“To see that Sheriff Balaam uses the RAVEN team to assist anywhere they are needed is outstanding and certainly shows just how valuable the unit has become to the region,” one person wrote.
Another thanked the rescue teams, writing, “Really awesome work, coordination and knowledge by all involved. Impressive and grateful to have this in our community.”
“Hats off to our emergency special teams!!” another commenter wrote. “We are all very fortunate that you all do what you do.”
The dramatic rescue came after two other high-profile rescues on Northern California mountains earlier this month.
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Last week, a 39-year-old Florida man was flown to a hospital after he fell through a snow bridge and severely injured his leg on the Whitney Glacier. Rescuers reached the injured climber the following morning, but bad weather prevented an aerial extraction. Crews ultimately carried him to a viable helicopter landing zone the next day, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Earlier this month, a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman from Salt Lake City were rescued after becoming trapped between cliffs during a 36-hour ordeal on Mount Shasta. Both were uninjured, authorities said.