Flash flood waters claim four lives in Kane County’s Buckskin Gulch
KANAB, Utah (KUTV) — Over the last few days, first responders and search and rescue crews had been combing an area along the Kane County (Utah), Coconino County (Arizona) border. In a rescue mission that began Sunday, two hikers were recovered.
“The fact that we’ve all the sudden had four (deaths) this year in the same canyon, that is definitely unique to us,” said Lt. Alan Alldredge, who has been with the Kane County Sheriff's Office for 17 years. “The sad thing about this story is this is about two gentleman that stopped to take a leisurely little five-mile hike.”
Just a few months ago, search and rescue crews spent days looking for people believed to have been swept away in flash flooding. Two out of three people in the group did not survive.
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“Once you get in there and storm hits there’s just nowhere for you to go,” said Lt. Alldredge.
In the instance this past weekend, the two men were planning to go for a short hike into Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch. Family from Ohio called the Sheriff’s Office on Monday after not hearing from the pair since Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Utah Department of Public Safety, recovered one of the hikers south of the junction of the Paria River and Buckskin Gulch, in Arizona.
On Monday night, Kane County Search and Rescue located the other man in Buckskin Gulch near the confluence with the Paria River.
“These guys were just out for a little break taking a hike and got caught by a flash flood,” said Lt. Alldredge. “Best we can assume, we’ll never 100% know but that’s what all the evidence is pointing towards is they got surprised by this and caught in it and swept 7 to 10 miles down this canyon.”
When asked about signage in the area and what else can be done, Lt. Alldredge reminds people visiting the area to do their research, check weather conditions, have the right gear and know how to use it, always let people know where you’re going and know where the exits are in these slot canyons.
“The potential is there, especially as we get into June or July, that’s when we typically see the potential for this, you know when we get into our monsoonal season,” said Lt. Alldredge. “We’re seeing thunderstorms and rainstorms earlier this year than normal.”
Gary York, of West Chester Township, Ohio and John Walter, of Kettering, Ohio, were the two men recently recovered in the Buckskin Gulch area.