Technical Rescue - 04/10/10 - Sanostee, NM

While San Juan County Fire units were wrapping up from an April 10th, 2010 brush fire in the Blanco Fire District, Newcomb (District #13) firefighters were dispatched to a report of a person falling from a cliff in the Sanostee Area (the eastern side of the Chuska Mountains) of the Navajo Reservation. Newcomb fire personnel requested assistance from the SJCFD’s Technical Rescue Team (TRT), who was notified around 1900 hours. The incident occurred off of BIA Route 5016, accessed from the 72 mile marker of US 491. Team members from Newcomb (District #13), Shiprock (District #12), LaPlata (District #4), and Lee Acres (District #6) arrived on scene and descended an approximately 40 foot cliff face to access the victim. Unfortunately, what started out as a rescue mission turned into a body recovery effort. The incident is under investigation by the Navajo Nation Police and federal authorities.